The Lagos-Ibadan railway is expected to be doing commercial services by now, that is if the words of the minister of transportation is to be followed by the regulators.
The Abeokuta Rail Terminal is one of the many terminals scattered across Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States which the railway will ply. One of the many advantages of the railway is that it opens the area to economical and business opportunities as homes, industries and business will be sited at this place due to its proximity to the railway.
AutoReportNG got some images from the Abeokuta Terminal and its surroundings. We need to inform our readers that the terminals are yet to be completed, so far, only Lagos terminal at Ebute Metta seems to be the fastest in the building while others are still laying fallow though work is ongoing on them.
A $1.53 billion contract was awarded in 2012 to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation for construction of the Lagos–Ibadan segment (156 km) of the standard gauge railway by 2016.
However, the project has also faced delays. A ground-breaking ceremony finally took place on 7 March 2017, and the railway was scheduled for completion in December 2018.[10] Construction was delayed by heavy rains in Spring 2018, and the Nigerian government had to deploy soldiers to protect the railway workers from hoodlums and armed robbers.
Construction was further delayed by the 2019 Nigerian general election when CCECC evacuated its Chinese employees as a precaution. Progress was slowed in 2020 by the social distancing needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, as only 20 workers were present on construction sites that once held 200.
The rail tracks on the 156km modern rail line from the Ebute Metta Junction to Ibadan have been completed while the 10 major and minor stations are at various stages of completion.
The stations along the corridor include Apapa, Ebute Metta Junction, Agege, Agbado, Kajola, Papalanto, Abeokuta, Olodo, Omi-Adio and Ibadan.
The railway is expected to be completed by December 2020.