Hundreds of hard-hatted workers cut and slot rebar ... scores more workers smooth fresh concrete into molds while a dozen-man team steadily ties the rebar into a 100-ft-long cage and welders attach fittings to crossties. All this activity is taking place in Papalanto, a rural stretch of southwest Nigeria.
This is the heart of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project. The 156-kilometer segment will be the second link in a new national standard-gauge double-track rail system that will carry freight and passenger service.