Lagos cable car project on course, says commissioner

THE planned $275million cable car project embarked upon by Lagos State Government to develop a 12.85 km cable network is still on course, the state government has said.

According to the state Commissioner for Transportation, Dayo Mobereola, the project, being driven by the private sector will soon become a reality as the contractors have started to construction work from the Iddo side of the state.

“The Lagos cable car project is on course. It is privately driven and the private sector need to get all the permits, on the side of Lagos, we have given them all the necessary permit, they are talking to the federal government to get some level of guarantees and we have assisted them to write to the federal government. They have taken the advantage by starting to build from the Iddo side of Lagos,” Mobereola told The Guardian in Lagos exclusively.

Though construction of the proposed cable car project was supposed to begin in 2013 while proper operations was slated to start in 2014/2015, Mobereola said necessary steps were needed to boost the confidence of the investors.

According to him, with about eight stations in three routes beginning at Ijora, Apapa and Victoria Island respectively and with a central hub around Adeniji Adele as well as a design to accommodate up to 240,000 trips daily, the initiative is part of the transportation master plan of the state.

Stressing on private sector involvement in reducing transportation challenges in the state, he said that “We cannot do it alone; we are going to work with the federal government and the private sector to achieve our plans”

Mobereola said the new expansion of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) witnessed in the state was part of the achievements of the Lagos transportation master plan, which intends to diversify channel of transportation for residents.

“The new 435 BRT buses from CMS to Ikorodu were bought by the private sector, they are not government buses. So we are beginning to get the private sector involvement in our plans in ensuring that we come up with a good transport system in Lagos,” Mobereola stated.