As laying of tracks of Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line begins in December, Lagosians must get ready for a hectic time. The federal government will be pulling down the Jibowu and Costain bridges to pave the way.
Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi on Monday said this in Lagos when he met with the Steering Committee of the project and the China Civil Engineering Construction Company.
“But we are rebuilding them immediately; we are not going to abandon them,’ he added.
“The challenges will be in the cities like Lagos, Abeokuta and Ibadan because we have to pay compensation, look at the water pipes, gas pipes, houses and cables.
“In Lagos especially, we deal with bridges, electric cables and water pipes and other assets.”
Amaechi also said that CCECC was consulting with Lagos State Water Corporation, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, among others, to facilitate relocation of water and gas pipelines that were parallel to the railway line.
Parts of the rail lines to be used for the project will arrive the country by end of November.
The minister while inspecting the level of work done, called for speedy work by CCECC so as to meet the deadline.
He called on Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to ensure that adequate security was provided for officials of CCECC handling the construction of the rail line.
He urged the Coordinator of the project, Mr Leo Tim, to complete the necessary documentation to facilitate the provision of security on site by relevant security agencies.
The minister visited Ijoko, Papalanto, Itori and Ewekoro community in Ogun State as part of the monthly site monitoring to ensure the project met the timeline by December 2018.