Waiting for Abuja Light Rail
The road traffic gridlock in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja is becoming a nightmare for residents. The problem is further compounded by expansion work on major highways leading to the city centre. For residents of satellite towns like Kubwa, Mararaba, Nyanya, Karu, Lugbe, Gwarinpa, going to work or returning, has not been smooth. Many […]
The road traffic gridlock in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja is becoming a nightmare for residents. The problem is further compounded by expansion work on major highways leading to the city centre. For residents of satellite towns like Kubwa, Mararaba, Nyanya, Karu, Lugbe, Gwarinpa, going to work or returning, has not been smooth.
Many residents have had to put up with hours of waiting on long queues because of the traffic bottlenecks. To redress the chaotic traffic situation, the administration of former minister of FCT, Adamu Ailero, came up with the idea of light rail in 2009. The light rail, which is expected to link the city, was billed to terminate at a Terminus located on the present NNPC Mega Station, in the centre of the city.
Since the idea was mooted, however, little has been heard about the project, thus leaving residents to doubt the good intention of government.
The Federal Government recently obtained a soft loan of about five million dollars (N80 billion) from the Chinese Government to complete the Abuja Light Rail Project and was part of the contractual agreement that would better the lives of Nigerians through the execution of projects.
Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, recently led a federal government delegation to visit China to finalise the Chinese Nexim Bank credit facility to complement financing of the rail project.
Federal Capital Territory Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, who was on that delegation, had said that the conclusion of the loan-deal would go a long way to ensure speedy completion of the project.
According to him, the project would afford the residents cheaper means of transportation and significantly reduce the traffic problems being experienced at peak hours in Abuja.
Light rail or light rail transit (LRT) is a form of urban rail public transportation system that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems.
The term is typically used to refer to rail systems with rapid transit-style features that usually use electric rail cars operating mostly in private rights-of-way separated from other forms of traffic but sometimes, if necessary, mixed with other traffic in city streets.
The construction of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit Project was conceptualised when the Federal Government on May 7, 2007, laid the foundation stone for a $84 million Abuja Light Rail Project. According to former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who performed the foundation laying ceremony, the ALRS, which is expected to cover 280 kilometres, was designed to convey commuters from the satellite towns to the city centre.
However, many residents of and commuters to and from Abuja have lost confidence in the sincerity of the federal government to deliver on such a laudable and necessary project, especially when there is nothing tangible to prove the contrary.
But hopes were raised when the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday, August 18, 2010, approved a N1.26 billion ($841 million) contract for project management services in respect of the Lots 1-3 of the light rail transit project, christened The Abuja Rail Mass Transit project, being constructed by a Chinese firm at a cost of $841.64 million (about N124 billion).
Each kilometre will gulp $13 million. Upon completion, Lot 1 is expected to handle approximately 350,000 riders per day while Lot 3 will carry about 60,000 commuters per day
FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed had explained that the contractor has concluded consultancy services contract on the feasibility study and conceptual design of lots 1, 2, & 3 of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit network and that the FCT Transportation Secretariat has initiated the immediate procurement of lots 2, through the Public-Private-Partnership arrangement, in order to complement the on-going lots 1 & 3 of the FCT Rail Network to ease traffic congestion along the Nyanya/Karu axis.
“This is in addition to the procurement of operation’s concessionaire for the on-going lots 1 & 3 as well as immediate procurement of lots 4, 5 & 6 of the Abuja Rail Network by the FCT Transportation Secretariat,” he said.
The management services contract is for the supervision of the 77 kilometre rail project, which has a completion period of 48 months, and whose life span is between 20 to 30 years.
FCTA Supervising Engineer of the project, Engr. Tony Agwaniru, said sufficient funds are needed to finish the sub-structure, lay the standard gauge tracks, put in the trial train cars and the light rail will commence with a speed range of 80 to 100 kilometres per hour.
He said that upon completion, the rail transit will employ 10,000 permanent workers and over 8,000 casual workers
The Chinese company said it mobilised to site in 2009, only $148 million, representing 20% of the contract sum and actually less than the mobilisation fees have so far been paid by the government.
The project, designed by CPCS Transport Nigeria Limited to be built by China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC), would come in two different models, namely the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Rapid Rail Transit (RRT).
The LRT is low-speed, fewer coaches and will operate within the city centre. The RRT is high speed, more coaches and designed to cover the FCT. “The metro system will be gas-powered at the initial time, and then in the near future when the energy supply becomes more stable, we can convert to electricity,” he said.
Already, girders and sleepers made of pre-stressed concrete on which the standard guage rail tracks will be laid are being constructed by the company at their industry layout in Idu Industrial area of Abuja. With 1,760 sleepers per kilometre, so far about 80,000 have been constructed, representing about 30% of the whole lot.
The Project Manager of the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Mr Charles Chang, gave the assurance that the company was committed to executing the job as expected by the Nigerian Government.
He said that out of a total of 96 culverts needed to be constructed on the rail right of way, only 26 were ready while 35 kilometres track was completed out of the 64 kilometre track.
He said that the construction of the sleepers had reached an advanced stage, adding that coaches, as well as five bridges for the project were ready.
However, the non removal of EU embassy, UN, NNPC mega station etc. have become obstacles to the Abuja Light Rail project the contracted firm, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) has said.
Project Manger of the company, Mr Chang Weijin, who recently conducted members of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), who were on a facility tour round the various project sites, also hinted that funding had been the major factor slowing down the progress of the work.
He further disclosed that, aside the $145 million, a total of N2 billion is outstanding for compensation to owners of plots affected by the project in Lots 1&3.
Though the test run of the rail has not even taken place, residents are still waiting in vain for any sign of progress. This was what prompted the newly inaugurated Senate Committee on FCT, headed by second term senator, Smart Adeyemi, to lead other members of the committee to pay on- the-spot visit to the headquarters of the FCT, to ascertain the true situation of the project.
Recently, Adeyemi and members of the committee took a three-hour tour of the light rail corridor from the Ministry of Finance Estate through Idu, where the Chinese company handling the project has its sight for producing all the materials needed for the completion of the rail. Unknown to the residents, work on the project had advanced and from the briefing the committee got, test run of the light rail would commence this year’s December.
The federal lawmakers were taking through the corridors which already had laid tracks for the first phase of the rail. On the tour it was discovered that two locomotive engines were on sight awaiting coaches for the test run. It was also noticed that the company has in stock huge piles of rail tracks, which could speed up the completion of the project in the near future.
From what is now on ground and with the assurance by the Chinese company handling the light rail, residents can begin to heave sighs of relief from the end of this year as the test run of the project comes on stream.
FCT Transportation Secretary, Engr. Jonathan Ivoke, told Sunday Trust in a telephone interview that “the project is progressing, a number of tracks have already been laid, but the 2013 completion date may not be feasible, maybe 2014.”
So whether it is 2013 or 2014, Abuja commuters are eagerly awaiting the new light rail system which, like most developed countries know, is really a fast, comfortable and convenient way to move around.