NIGERIA: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu opened the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Red Line on February 29.
‘It is my singular pleasure to inaugurate the first phase of the LRMT Red Line to the glory of God Almighty and for the benefit of the people’, he said. ’We will arrive at the destination with joy, happiness, and prosperity; God willing.’
The President also witnessed the signing of a contract for China Civil Engineering Construction Corp to undertake the second phase of the Red Line project, which is being developed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority in three stages.
Red Line
The first phase of the Red Line runs 26·3 km from Agbado to Oyingbo with eight stations. The second phase will extend this by 11 km to Marina on the Blue Line which opened in September.
A branch to Murtala Muhammed International Airport is also planned.
Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had launched work with a groundbreaking ceremony in April 2021, and he said the first phase was completed in 30 months in ’a feat of engineering and determination’.
The alignment is shared with Nigerian Railway Corp’s Lagos – Ibadan main line, which has been reconstructed to 1 435 mm gauge.
Talgo trains
Services are being operated using two 14-car Talgo Series 8 trainsets, and two diesel locos supplied by US company NRE.
The Talgo sets were originally ordered by the state of Wisconsin in 2009 for use on Amtrak’s 138 km Chicago – Milwaukee Hiawatha service, but never entered traffic in the USA.
Additional rolling stock for the Blue and Red lines has been ordered from China.
Transport master plan
Sanwo-Olu said the opening ‘marks a monumental leap in Lagos’ journey towards unrivalled urban mobility’.
He said the Red Line would ’unlock over 4tr naira annually in lost work hours that our state’s productive manpower loses in traffic’.
On completion the line is expected to cut journey times between Agbado and the city centre from 2½ h to around 35 min. Ridership is predicted to reach 500 000 passengers a day in the initial operating phase, and eventually 750 000.
Sanwo-Olu said the strategic transport master plan for Lagos includes six rail lines, of which the Blue and Red lines are now open, as well as a monorail, 14 bus rapid transit corridors, more than 20 water routes and an extensive road network.
‘Together, we’re not just moving forward’, he said. ‘We’re redefining urban transformation across Africa.’
