LAGOS State Government has procured four single Electric Multiple Unit, EMU car train coaches, expected to operate on the Lagos Urban Rail Network, Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Dayo Morebeola, has said.
Morebola who spoke at the 2016 ministerial Press briefing in commemoration of the first year in office of the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in Alausa, Ikeja, said the coaches would be deployed on the blue and red lines which are under construction in the state.
He said, “The Government has procured a single Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) four car train operations,” adding that the state government was presently discussing with stakeholders on the construction of red line from Agbado to Marina. His words, “The Right of Way has been approved by the Federal Government as it will run parallel on the existing corridor of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC. Also, the phase 1 is from Mile 2 to the National Theatre where infrastructure works are 95 percent completed. The phase 2 is from the National Theatre to Marina where we have achieved 40 percent completion.
The state Government under the previous administration had in 2014 approved $14.6 million to Messrs. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC/China North Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry Corporation, CNR (JV (Joint Venture partners) for the purchase of the four EMU trains from the Chinese Government.
According the commissioner, 181, 986 of the 1, 023,812 vehicles inspected by the state transport enforcement agencies between May, 2015 and April 2016, were impounded or fined for violating the State Road Traffic Law 2012.
The government he said had concluded plans to professionalize and re-brand public transport system with the aim of phasing -out the 14-seaters Yellow buses popularly known as Danfo and replace them with 30-seater vehicles with air conditioners. He stated that the re-branding would also include introduction of new number plates, colour uniformity and Body tags for all public transportation to ensure a more secured, safe and comfortable system that suits a megacity.
Mobereola explained that the transformation was to encourage people leave their private cars and use public transportation, which would go a long way to easing gridlocks on Lagos roads.
