The 45-kilometre long Abuja Light Rail is ready for operation barring minor delay at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Station to be resolved this month, the FCT Administration said yesterday.
The Transport Secretary, FCTA, Kayode Opeifa, said on Monday that Lot A and Lot 3 of the entire stretch, which terminates at Bazango, is ready for operation.
He disclosed that the project, which was ready since December last year, was held up at the Abuja airport, where there was need for the train station and the terminal to be in place for the train to run.
“We are told that will be ready this month and the train terminal of just 20 metres link is ready, and that the president will inaugurate it, “ Opeifa said.
He said 12 stations, 21 operational offices, 13 bridges, 50 culverts and nine pedestrian over passes are all 100 per cent completed.
The light rail is also touted for its uniqueness as the first rail in the country without pedestrian crossing.
It will pass through about 12 satellite towns and boost economic activities along the corridor of Gwagwa, Kalgoni, DeiDei, Kubwa, Kokoaba,Asa and Dasonga, among others.
It is not the same as the national rail but it will interface with the national line at two points- Idu and Gwagwa, where there would be interchanges to join the Kaduna line.
Opeifa added that the high speed train Lot 2 from Gwagwa through Karimu, Jabi, Utako to link up with the Central Business District is under private partnership concession, while the design for the ambitious Lots four, five and and that to link Nyanya with Keffi had been approved.
He also said FCTA had impounded 17,112 vehicles for traffic offences under Operation Giraffe, out of 500,000 vehicles registered in the territory.
The impounded vehicles represented 3.4 per cent of vehicles on FCT roads.
