Light rail project undertaken by Chinese company in Nigeria's Lagos State is 90 percent complete: official

LAGOS, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The governor of southwest Nigeria's Lagos State has praised the progress of one of the state's most important intra-city light rail projects, saying its completion would strengthen the intermodal transportation system in the country's economic hub.

The Blue Line rail project, contracted by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), was 90 percent complete, said Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of the Lagos State, during a visit to the ongoing project Sunday.

"We are happy that the contractors are working seven days a week," said Sanwo-Olu, noting people in Lagos would ride a train on the rail by the first quarter of 2023.

The governor said the state government plans to purchase some train coaches from China between September and October in preparation for the commissioning of the project.

According to a statement of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority in January, the Blue Line is a 27 km light rail line designed with thirteen stations and an end-to-end journey time of thirty-five minutes.

The project is expected to facilitate a reduction in traffic congestion and travel time for commuters within the Lagos city, create affordable transport alternatives for residents and stimulate economic development within the state, said the statement.