Name and Location
Lagos Rapid Mass Transit (LRMT) system, Nigeria.

Project Description
The project involves the development of Nigeria's first urban rail system.

The first phase of the LRMT comprises the so-called Blue and Red Lines.

The Blue Line will consist of 27 km of double track, and will run from west to east - from Okokomaiko, west of the city centre, to Marina, in the heart of the financial and commercial district of Lagos Island, while the Red Line will run from north to south.

The Blue Line will have 13 stations and a 1 250-m four-track bridge spanning the Osa Lagoon and connecting Lagos Island to the mainland.

The Blue Line is to be structured so that it integrates with the existing bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, as well as the LRMT's Red Line. The trains will run at five-minute intervals at peak time, and at 14-minute intervals during off-peak periods.

Value
The cost to the Lagos government to develop the project is more than $1-billion, with the concessionaire to spend an added (initial) $300-million.

Duration
Clearing work on the project has already started, with construction to kick off in July.
Around 24 km of the system will start operating by 2013.

The operations and maintenance contract runs for 25 years, with the concessionaire to bring in its own rolling stock.

Client
Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (Lamata).

Key Contracts and Suppliers
CPCS Transcom (adviser on the Blue Line project and owner's engineer for the public-private partnership), Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) (design-and-build contract)

Latest Developments
The design-and-build tender for the project has been awarded to CCECC.

The preferred bidder for the operations and maintenance contract - for which 15 bids were received - was announced in December.

The name of the company has not been disclosed, as negotiations with the group are ongoing. Should this fail, the reserve bidder may step in.

On Budget and on Time?
Clearing work on the project has started.

Contact Details for Project Information
CPCS Transcom, tel +1 613 237 2500, fax +1 613 237 4494 or email contact@cpcstrans.com.
CCECC Nigeria email ccecc-nigeria@ccecc.com.cn.
Lamata, tel +234 1 270 2778 or fax +234 1 270 2783.