RIVERS MONORAIL PROJECT NOW IN LATTER STAGES OF COMPLETION

RIVERS MONORAIL PROJECT NOW IN LATTER STAGES OF COMPLETION

The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) and Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, Thursday said that the phase 1a and 1b of its 6.5 kilometers mass transit monorail system in Port Harcourt would be completed by September 2013.
Amaechi said this recently  when the National Good Governance Tour (NGGT) team led by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, paid him a courtesy visit in is office.

The governor enjoined the Federal Government to pursue its commitment towards achieving a 24-hour electricity power supply, urging that the National Integrated Power Plant (NIPP) project located at Omoku should be completed.
"We are not in position to tell Rivers people why we haven't given them constant power supply, may be now that they are  aware of your coming, they will be on site," he said.

While conducting the team round the monorail site, the state Commissioner for Transport, Mr. George Tolofari, stated that the  project had gulped N19 billion to get to its present stage.
He also said the six different coaches had been acquired, adding that one coach would be dedicated to the physically challenged.     

The system according to him, would alleviate the traffic congestion in the city, shorten travel duration and at the same time facilitate urban development.
NGGT also visited the 17.7 kilometres Ada-George dualisation road which was said to be 75 per cent completed.

The 10-meter width federal road is being dualised to a six-lane road by the state government  at the cost of N16.3 billion while N12.2 billion had been paid to the contractor.
Ameachi, however, commended the NGGT, as he said the tour had kept alive a healthy competition amongst state governors.   

He said, unlike what obtained in the past, rivalry among the governors now borders on who will outdo the other in terms of performance.

He added that the 36 state governors do not  discuss politics during its regular meetings.

According him, the Forum's mission statement seeks to provide a platform for collaboration amongst governors on matters of public policy and seeks to promote good governance.

"We have never ever quarrelled over politics. We have never discussed politics at Governors’ Forum, never. What we have always discussed is who is doing what," he said.

On the 13th of October 2009, the Rivers State Government, ably represented by the Executive Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and TSI Property and Investments Holdings Limited signed an agreement signaling the start of work on a monorail system to be hereby known as “Rivers Monorail” in Port Harcourt. This was a major step forward for the great city of Port Harcourt and giant stride forward for Rivers State.
As a part of the many faceted plan to bring organisation and structure to the public transport infrastructure in Rivers State, the Rivers Monorail is set to cement the State’s place as Nigeria’s Treasure base, a place of cultural advancement, a tourist attraction and a fully functional metropolis. The people of Rivers State can as a result look forward to an improved quality of life such as is enjoyed by members of many highly developed cities all over the world.

About The Project

The Rivers Monorail will be using the Intamin P30 Monorail Train, an electric driven train especially designed and most suitable for commuter services in cities.

It is the most recent model of its kind and characterized by modern design, spacious cabins and is equipped with large size door openings for easy access for passengers with luggage.

The visual impact of the train, the track beam (which it rides on) and the supporting columns will be minimal and an appropriate color will be chosen to help integrate the system into the environment.

The Rivers Monorail Beam System

The Monorail Beam is elevated, supported by columns which in turn are supported by a foundation. The foundation will be properly sized to take all loads applied from the column to the foundation.

The foundation and the beam structure shall be designed to a minimum life time of 50 years. The foundation shall be designed and built to withstand the local climate conditions at Port Harcourt including flood, thunderstorm, heavy rain, etc.

Proposed Stations

Several trains will be in operation on the network between Aggrey Rd. and the loop North/East of the Garrison station.

- UPTH Junction (Aggrey Road)
- Sharks Stadium Park
- Supabod
- Isaac Boro Park
- Garrison Junction
- Nkpogu/ Elekahia Junction (Trans Amadi)
- Mother-Cat Junction (Rainbow)
- Ordinance Junction (NEWS)
- Elekahia Estate (Dust bin)
- Air force Base Junction (Aba Road)
- Rumuola Junction
- GRA Junction
- Water Lines Junction
- 1st or 2nd Artillery Junction
- Rumukwurushi Junction
- Oil Mill Junction
- Eleme Junction
- Oyigbo

Proposed Major Terminals

- Sharks Stadium Park (Station Road)
- Liberation Stadium (Elekahia)
- Garden Park (Air force Base Junction)

System Statistics

- Maximum achievable transport capacity 1,300 pph/direction
- Average interval of train is approximately 12/24 mins
- Maximum Speed 70km/hr
- Track Length 19.1 km
- Total passengers per train (standard Capacity) 158
- Total passengers per train (peak capacity) 210
- Operating Brakes are electrical regenerative brakes
- Holding breaks are mechanical brakes
- Emergency brake are mechanical brakes (fail safe design)
- Overall Route Track Length – 19.1Km
- Overall No. of Columns – 1473
- Stations – 14
- Train Sets – 5

- Coaches per Train – 6
- Passengers per Train – 210
- Passengers per hr per direction – 1300

Disclaimer: Plans outlined are projections and are subject to ongoing adjustment to achieve the best and safest quality to serve the city of Port Harcourt.