No fewer than 3 people including a school bus driver and two students of “PLEDGE Private Schools”, Sola Martin’s Street, Olaniyi, narrowly escaped death at power line temporary railway level crossing when an Ibadan to Lagos bound passenger train rammed into the bus during transit.
Daily Sun exclusively gathered that “the accident happened recently when one of the tyres of a school bus belonging to PLEDGE Private Schools was stucked in a deep gully formed beside a protruded standard gauge rail track at power line temporary railway level crossing near Ogun/Lagos border”.
It was gathered that “the driver of the bus was still struggling with the steering to drive past the spot when he noticed that a train was approaching and in the process jumped out of the bus with the 2 students leaving the train to ram into the empty bus”.
Sources further disclosed that the the train which just departed Lateef Jakande Terminal at Agbado rammed into the stucked bus dragging it some few Kilometres away from scene of collision before dumping it beside the rail track.
When contacted via a text message, Lagos district manager of the corporation Engr. Augustine Arase did not reply to enquiries about the accident, cause and next line of action to avert future occurrence.
Stakeholders raise alarm over danger of plying railway level-crossings
•As LASG starts trial run of red line
Stakeholders in the rail and road sectors have raised alarm over danger of plying railway level crossings by motorists saying, management of Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC should barricade the tracks along temporary/illegal railway level crossings to prevent motorists from driving across the railway lines in the country
They also called on Lagos state government declare open completed overpasses between Ebute-Metta Junction and Agbado railway stations while Federal ministry transportation should meet its own obligation of constructing overpasses at some railway Level-Crossings.within the Lagos metropoly.
The call on these agencies was occasioned by some accidents that happened at railway Level-Crossings in the past especially the recent accident involving an Ibadan to Lagos bound passenger train and a school bus (belonging to PLEDGE Private Schools) at power line temporary railway level crossing wheren three people narrowly escaped death.
It equally became necessary to draw attention of government to address the issue of phasing out railway level-crossings, as Lagos state government through, Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority, LAMATA kick started trial run of red line passenger train service from Oyingbo to Agbado last Thursday at Ikeja terminal amidst pomp and pageantry.
Recall that based on the terms of agreement between Federal Ministry of Transportation and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC, it was stipulated that wherever there are rail, road intersections, overpasses and underpasses should be built to pave way for train drivers and motorists to either pass underneath or above respectively.
It was a deliberate policy designed to grudually phase out the use of old fashioned railway Level-Crossings at rail, road intersections whereby gates/flags are lowered to stop motorists whenever trains are approaching.
In line with the approved design, overpasses and underpasses were built where there are road/rail intersections along the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway corridor with the exception of some Level-Crossings within Lagos where constructions are either completed or ongoing.
It is however noteworthy that the railway level crossings at Ikeja, Adeshola, power line and Agbado areas of Lagos/Ogun state were redesigned temporarily during the construction of overpasses in these locations to create alternative routes for motorists in the environs pending completion of work on the overpasses.
The Lagos state governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had during inauguration of the 27 kilometres rail line from Oyingbo to Agbado recently said that the red line will convey 500 passengers daily thereby reducing time and creating opportunities for people.
Looking at these developments and plans to increase frequency of trains through the just commissioned red line, Mr. Eric Umezurike, said that the Ikeja, Oyingbo and Yaba overpasses have since been completed and commissioned but that Agbado-Crossing overpass has since been completed without being utilized while that of Mushin and Adeshola have reached various stages of completion.
He called on management of Nigerian Railway Corporation to barricade all the temporary railway Level -Crossings while Lagos state government should declare open the aforementioned overpasses to serve as alternative routes for motorists.
Umezurike who is the managing director, First Rit Nigeria Limited, noted that the accident at power line Level-Crossing could have been averted if the tracks had been properly barricaded and monitored.
In his own perspective Mr. Tayo Odunsi noted that the railway level crossings at Jibowu, Oshodi, Arena shopping complex, PWD in Lagos state as well as Rafco and Itoki in Ogun state have remained old fashioned with flagmen stationed to flag down motorists whenever a train is approaching.
He enjoined the relevant authorities to do the needful by building overpasses at aforementioned railway level-crossings in line with global best practices so as to avert future accidents waiting to happen.
In a separate development, Lagos State Environnmental Taskforce headed by CSP Shola Jejeloye recently arrested 110 persons suspected to be destroying and stealing rail track.
The suspects were arrested at midnight in an ongoing operation to clean up and secure the redline rail track around the Pen-Cinema-Iju Fagba corridor.
Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed the arrest, in a post on his X handle