To connect critical points across Lagos and open doors to opportunities, growth, and a sustainable future, the 27 kilometers Lagos Red Line starting from Agbado in Ogun State to cities and suburbs in Lagos, was borne. But beyond this, the overarching goal is to alleviate traffic congestion, minimize road accidents, and improve commuter safety within the state. The laudable project, which was inaugurated last Thursday, is expected to facilitate 37 trips daily and move more than 500,000 passengers daily.
When the concept of the Lagos Red Rail Project was picturized some two decades ago under the then governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the idea was to fast-track commute while decongesting traffic at the same time.
The project passed through two successors until it was brought to fruition and completed by the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Just last Friday, President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the Lagos Red Line Rail.
This intra-city metro line is the second sub-national rail infrastructure to be completed and opened by the state government within a space of one year, the first being the Blue Line, an electric rapid transit line that runs in Lagos with five stations between Mile 2 to Marina.
Specifically, the seven-station Red Line Rail stretches over a distance of 27 kilometers starting from Agbado in Ogun State and crossing through cities and suburbs in Lagos State like Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, and Yaba, before terminating at Oyingbo.
With 10 vehicular overpasses and pedestrian bridges that separate the train traffic from vehicular and pedestrian flows, the Red Line is a substantial investment in the state’s urban transportation infrastructure and a fixture on the T.H.E.M.E.S+ Agenda of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Accordingly, the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) project is expected to facilitate 37 trips daily and move more than 500,000 passengers daily.
With an estimate pegged at $135 million under the Greater Lagos Urban Transportation Project, managed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), under the state’s Ministry of Transportation, the rail utilizes Diesel Multiple Unit which employs on-board diesel engines to propel multiple-unit trains.
“The LRMT Red Line rail system, the first phase of which we project will move more than 500,000 passengers daily, stretches over a distance of 27 kilometers from Agbado to Oyingbo, with eight stations at Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and terminates at Oyingbo.”
Given the enormity of the success recorded with this project, President Tinubu, while inaugurating the Lagos Red Line rail, said Lagos is an example of how vision exalts democracy, adding that his vision of the intermodal transport ecosystem has become a reality that would bear good dividends for citizens of the state.
Commending Governor Sanwo-Olu for the giant stride and his faith in the state’s strategic development blueprint passed down to successive governments in the state by the Tinubu-led administration in Lagos, he said the Red Line inauguration marked another milestone in the state’s infrastructural progress, noting that the delivery of the project further validated his belief that democracy would work in a society where leaders showed dedication to governance vision.
“I am delighted that we are inaugurating the first phase of the Red Line. Today is a day to be remembered for the infrastructural progress of our country, particularly Lagos. LAMATA has demonstrated that an agency can work for people if it is guided by a vision and commitment to noble values. Much work still needs to be done in fostering a strong working partnership between federal government and state governments.”
“We thank Lagosians and our political leaders in the State for believing in us. We said we could do it, you believed in us. We said we would be focused on the people, you believed in us. We said our efforts would end up making people’s lives better, you believed in us. The progress of Lagos over the last 24 years is a constant reminder that true change is possible.”
In his speech, Governor Sanwo-Olu noted that “the LMRT Red Line is not just about improving our city’s mobility, rather it’s about reshaping our urban landscape and setting a new pace for development. By connecting critical points across Lagos, we’re opening doors to opportunities, growth, and a sustainable future.”
The governor said the Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP) of Lagos outlined six integrated rail lines, one monorail, 14 BRT corridors, over 20 water routes, and a vast network of major and inner roads, adding that two of the rail lines had been completed.
Source: This Day
