Written by T.Adeniyi (Chief Editor at Blackborderbuild.com)
The route map for the Lagos, Ibadan and Ogun lines is becoming quite complicated, so we will attempt to break it down.
The Lengthiest Corridor in this area is actually the Lagos - Calabar (Cross River State) route i.e. the Coastal Railway which is 1385 km in length and will have a max speed of 120 km/hr. Although it has 22 stations and is said to connect 10 States (including Lagos), the reality is the Coastal Railway actually starts from Ogun State not Lagos State. Technically speaking Lagos is not a part of the Coastal Railway, it is simply connected to it. The Coastal Railway begins near Itori (Ogun State), from Itori it connects to Iperu (Also in Ogun State), it then connects to Ijebu Ode and Alakuko once again in Ogun State. From there it connects 17 other stops and 2 branches, before reaching its destination in Calabar. The Lagos - Ibadan line connects to the Coastal Rail at the Itori Juncture where the Coastal Railway begins, before continuing to Abeokuta.
The Second lengthiest corridor in this area is the Lagos - Kano route, which is a 1010 km route, of which the Lagos - Ibadan route is a small segment. The Lagos Ibadan line as detailed in the map, starts from Marina (Lagos Island) till it reaches Ibadan, before it ultimately terminates at Kano. As detailed in our previous post, this line is a 150 km/hr line (The fastest in the country prospectively). Although it cannot be described as a true high speed rail route, it is by regional standards.
The first project of the Lagos State Mass Transit is of course the Blue Line from Okokomaiko to Marina. The Blue line will connect with the Lagos Green Line at Marina. From Marina the Green Line then forks into two segments at Sangotedo/Lekki, one segment continues onto the Lekki International Airport (Refer to this post, for further clarification), while the other segment follows the coastline.
Here is where it gets tricky. Parts of the Lagos Mass Transit Scheme are also embedded within the Ogun State Railway. So in actual fact it appears that the Lagos and the Ogun State Transit schemes are actually one larger network, so the $3.5 Billion that embodies the Ogun State scheme, in actual fact also embodies part of the Lagos scheme as well. With this in mind, the project should be perceived as more feasible. When we factor in the Chinese Exim Bank arrangements, Private Equity Investors and the loans that will be arranged to supplement these lines, by both the State and Federal Governments, the execution of these projects is not such a long shot after all.
The first instance where the Lagos and Ogun State lines overlap is the Lagos Red Line. The Lagos Red Line connects with the Lagos Blue Line at Marina and they share three Stations (Marina, Ebute Ero and Iddo. However the Red Line does not terminate in Lagos State, it runs through to Agbado in Ogun State. It is in Agbado that Phase 4 of the Ogun Rail System connects and continues on to Abeokuta. The blurred lines (No Pun Intended), does not end there. Phase 2 of the Ogun Railway, which starts outside Abeokuta, connects Ilaro and then a community near Ota and Owode where it forks into two segments, one segment continues onto Sagamu (Ogun State), while the other segment joins the Lagos Blue Line at Ojo/Agbara
Strangely enough, from Marina in Lagos to Agbado, there will actually be three lines that run parallel. The existing narrow gauge (NRC Corridor) will run from Marina to Agbado; the Lagos - Ibadan Line will as well and so will the Lagos Red Line (As we noted in the aforementioned paragraph). This section of the Ogun/Lagos System is the most congested. In conclusion, the only segments of the Ogun Railway System that are not directly connected to Lagos is the Phase 3 Line from Idoroko to Owode and the Phase 1 line from Abeokuta to Ijebu Ode.
T.Adeniyi for Blackborderbuild.com
The route map for the Lagos, Ibadan and Ogun lines is becoming quite complicated, so we will attempt to break it down.
The Lengthiest Corridor in this area is actually the Lagos - Calabar (Cross River State) route i.e. the Coastal Railway which is 1385 km in length and will have a max speed of 120 km/hr. Although it has 22 stations and is said to connect 10 States (including Lagos), the reality is the Coastal Railway actually starts from Ogun State not Lagos State. Technically speaking Lagos is not a part of the Coastal Railway, it is simply connected to it. The Coastal Railway begins near Itori (Ogun State), from Itori it connects to Iperu (Also in Ogun State), it then connects to Ijebu Ode and Alakuko once again in Ogun State. From there it connects 17 other stops and 2 branches, before reaching its destination in Calabar. The Lagos - Ibadan line connects to the Coastal Rail at the Itori Juncture where the Coastal Railway begins, before continuing to Abeokuta.
The Second lengthiest corridor in this area is the Lagos - Kano route, which is a 1010 km route, of which the Lagos - Ibadan route is a small segment. The Lagos Ibadan line as detailed in the map, starts from Marina (Lagos Island) till it reaches Ibadan, before it ultimately terminates at Kano. As detailed in our previous post, this line is a 150 km/hr line (The fastest in the country prospectively). Although it cannot be described as a true high speed rail route, it is by regional standards.
The first project of the Lagos State Mass Transit is of course the Blue Line from Okokomaiko to Marina. The Blue line will connect with the Lagos Green Line at Marina. From Marina the Green Line then forks into two segments at Sangotedo/Lekki, one segment continues onto the Lekki International Airport (Refer to this post, for further clarification), while the other segment follows the coastline.
Here is where it gets tricky. Parts of the Lagos Mass Transit Scheme are also embedded within the Ogun State Railway. So in actual fact it appears that the Lagos and the Ogun State Transit schemes are actually one larger network, so the $3.5 Billion that embodies the Ogun State scheme, in actual fact also embodies part of the Lagos scheme as well. With this in mind, the project should be perceived as more feasible. When we factor in the Chinese Exim Bank arrangements, Private Equity Investors and the loans that will be arranged to supplement these lines, by both the State and Federal Governments, the execution of these projects is not such a long shot after all.
The first instance where the Lagos and Ogun State lines overlap is the Lagos Red Line. The Lagos Red Line connects with the Lagos Blue Line at Marina and they share three Stations (Marina, Ebute Ero and Iddo. However the Red Line does not terminate in Lagos State, it runs through to Agbado in Ogun State. It is in Agbado that Phase 4 of the Ogun Rail System connects and continues on to Abeokuta. The blurred lines (No Pun Intended), does not end there. Phase 2 of the Ogun Railway, which starts outside Abeokuta, connects Ilaro and then a community near Ota and Owode where it forks into two segments, one segment continues onto Sagamu (Ogun State), while the other segment joins the Lagos Blue Line at Ojo/Agbara
Strangely enough, from Marina in Lagos to Agbado, there will actually be three lines that run parallel. The existing narrow gauge (NRC Corridor) will run from Marina to Agbado; the Lagos - Ibadan Line will as well and so will the Lagos Red Line (As we noted in the aforementioned paragraph). This section of the Ogun/Lagos System is the most congested. In conclusion, the only segments of the Ogun Railway System that are not directly connected to Lagos is the Phase 3 Line from Idoroko to Owode and the Phase 1 line from Abeokuta to Ijebu Ode.
T.Adeniyi for Blackborderbuild.com