At the Ikeja Train Station on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu officially launched the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line.
The event was attended by distinguished guests, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Deputy, Minister of Transportation Saidu Alkali, numerous state governors, officials from the project’s executing firm CCECC, and international diplomats.
This inaugurated portion of the 37-kilometer Red Line, which runs 27 km from Agbado in Ogun State to Oyingbo, includes eight strategically positioned stations: Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and Oyingbo.
In his speech, President Tinubu praised Governor Sanwo-Olu and emphasised the importance of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). He founded LAMATA twenty years ago during his governorship in Lagos to influence the state’s transport scene, with Sanwo-Olu playing a crucial role in its formation.
The inauguration also included the signing of a formal agreement to begin the second phase of the Red Line, a collaboration between LAMATA and CCECC, which was carried out by LAMATA’s Managing Director, Engr. Abimbola Akinajo, and the CCECC Chairman, in the presence of Governor Sanwo-Olu and the CCECC’s President.
Following his speech at the occasion, President Tinubu and other dignitaries boarded the Red Line from Ikeja Train Station for the presidential inauguration.
Construction on the first phase of the Red Line began on April 15, 2021, and was finished successfully 30 months later.
The Red Line would use shared tracks with the Nigerian Railway Corporation’s (NRC) Lagos-Ibadan route, according to a track-sharing deal struck by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In his statement at the opening, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) played a critical role in mobilising local finance for the project. This financial support was supplemented by contributions from three large local banks: United Bank for Africa, First Bank, and Zenith Bank.
Governor Sanwo-Olu also announced the purchase of trains for the Red Line from the United States, with more rolling stock bought from the United Kingdom in 2023 and China a few weeks ago.
Designed to substantially reduce travel time, the Red Line will allow passengers to travel from Agbado to Oyingbo in just 40 minutes, a significant improvement over the more than two-hour journey by car. Furthermore, the train’s capacity is intended to carry more than 1,000 people per journey, according to a recent post by LAMATA on its official X account.
Governor Sanwo-Olu stated that at full capacity, the Red Line is expected to convey 250,000 passengers each day. This amount is expected to increase to 750,000 daily passengers once it is fully operating and all new rolling stock has been linked into the system.
Furthermore, Governor Sanwo-Olu announced the start of preliminary work on two new lines in the LRMT system: the Green Line and Purple Line. The Green Line would span 71.4 kilometres from Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone, while the Purple Line will run 53.4 km from Ojo to Mowe in Ogun State.
Looking ahead, Governor Sanwo-Olu has announced plans to create two more rail lines inside the LRMT system: the Orange Line and the Yellow Line, indicating that Lagos’ rail infrastructure would continue to grow and expand.