With the inauguration of the Red Rail Line by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, residents of Lagos living around blighted border communities are upbeat about the potential of the new alternative provided by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to alleviate transit nightmares, ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE writes
With the inauguration ceremonies of the Red Line concluded and the rightful place of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the annals of the train mode dusted last week, the coast is now clear for the state government to roll out commercial operations on the line that is, arguably, going to be the busiest corridor as it connects the state with its closest neighbouring state, Ogun.
Though it is expected that the rollout will be preceded by a test-run schedule, the state’s operator–Lagos State Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA) is yet to come up with a plan on what to expect during the exercise and its span.
The red line may not be as strenuous and sapping as the Blue, which commenced commercial operation on September 4, last year, not only because it will co-share the national corridor, but also because it is a Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), unlike the former that requires painstaking details.
When he performed the groundbreaking of the 37km long Oyingbo –Agbado metro line on April 15, 2021, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu only had the assurances of total support of the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). Currently, along the corridor are four overpasses at Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin and Ikeja Along.
It also has six train stations–Ikeja Station (a mega station), Iju, Agege, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and Oyingbo, while the eighth at Agbado is nearing completion. The metro line will also have two stabling yards at Oyingbo and Agbado.
While seven of the stations will have complete station infrastructure, Oshodi is grafted to the Oshodi Transport Interchange. An independent rail track section from Ebute-Meta Junction to Iddo (Oto) via Alagomeji, meant for stabling purposes has been completed and the total length of track shared with the NRC is approximately 24.2km from Ebute-Meta Junction to Agbado.
The second phase of the project which commenced on February 29, 2024, was originally projected to land at Marina, from Oyingbo. But Governor Sanwo-Olu had said the engineering design had been altered and would land at the National Theatre, Iganmu. He cited the number of structures that would give way if the right of way is to be strictly adhered to.
The line is to share the national rail corridor from Agbado to Ebute-Meta Junction and then carry on across the Lagoon to the National Theatre, which would now serve as the interchange from where passengers could connect the Blue Line to the Marina.
The Red Line is expected to convey 250,000 passengers daily at inception and between 750,000 to one million passengers when the full line is operational. The project is divided into two phases with the first phase (Oyingbo to Agbado), which President Tinubu opened last Thursday.
At the ceremony, LAMATA and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) signed an agreement for the construction of Phase Two of the Red Line, which will extend the project to the Marina and National Theatre stations of the Blue Line.
On January 19, 2022, the governor completed the purchase of two Talgo intra-city 10-coach trains for the red metro line.
Unveiling the red line component of the Lagos Mass Transit Rail (LMTR) last Thursday, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the red line will complement the Blue line which has carried close to one million passengers since it commenced commercial operations six months ago.
The Blue Line rail system was first conceived in 1983 by the first civilian governor of Lagos State, Lateef Jakande. The construction of the Blue Line was officially flagged off by Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2003, though work commenced on the project in 2009, under the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola.
On January 24, 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the first phase of the project (13km) from Marina to Mile 2 and is expected to transport approximately 500,000 passengers daily. The Blue Line is powered by electricity, providing a sustainable and environmentally- friendly mode of transportation which underscores the state’s commitment to the reduction of carbon emissions and flagging the state’s commitment to adopting the Blue Line corridor as a green zone with net-zero transit emission.
Six Governors, led by the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq were among the first set of passengers who joined the President and Governor Sanwo-Olu in a ride on the train.
The President conveyed his commendation to Governor Sanwo-Olu for the “giant stride” and his faith in the state’s strategic development blueprint passed down to successive governments by the Tinubu-led administration.
Tinubu 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 be people-focused.
The President observed that Lagos stood out as a shining example of working democracy because its leadership made people’s welfare the central priority of its overarching vision and planning.
He said: “We are gathered for the inauguration of the second of the six rail lines planned in our strategic transportation master plan. I commend the Lagos State Government under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu for this giant stride. He was part of this vision some 20 years ago, running around the world to look at working systems and come up with ideas to replicate here.
“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.
Tinubu said the history of the state would be kind to everyone involved in the infrastructural transformation being witnessed in Lagos, noting that any deviation from the state’s development master plan could derail the progress. He urged the state’s leadership to persevere in the face of opposition to the ideas while staying focused on the goals.
Governor Sanwo-Olu described the ceremony as a “culmination of the long, painstaking journey” of reforms in the transportation sector of the state, stressing that the inauguration of the rail system, once again, breathed life into Tinubu’s vision of integrated transport connectivity.
While two rail lines had been completed, Sanwo-Olu sought continued cooperation and support from the Federal Government for the Green and Purple Lines, which he said would further spread the alternate transit modes to other parts of the state, thereby relieving the people of the stress and shocks of road transportation.
He said: “Today, we mark a historic milestone in the annals of Lagos and indeed, our nation, with the commissioning of the Red Line, a 37-km marvel of modern engineering that stretches from Agbado in Ogun State to the iconic National Theatre in Iganmu. The segment we are inaugurating today spans an impressive 27 km from Agbado to Oyingbo, featuring state-of-the-art stations at Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and Oyingbo.
“For the first time in the history of Lagos, we have a system comprising and integrating all three modes of transportation: road, rail and waterways. We started the construction of the rail infrastructure in mid-2021, and I am happy that our administration has been able to complete it and deploy it for operations. At full capacity, this first phase of the Red Line will transport 250,000 passengers daily, which will grow to 750,000 passengers daily when we have the full complement of rolling stock on the line.”
The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat said Lagos became the first sub-national in Africa to fund two rail projects from its balance sheet, noting that the Red Line was commissioned exactly 1,050 days after its construction groundbreaking was performed by Governor Sanwo-Olu.
In their goodwill messages, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Cui Jianchun and the Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Alkali said the Red Line would change the face of intra-city commuting in Lagos.
While Jianchun assured of the readiness of the Chinese Government to the speedy completion of the second phase of both Blue and red lines, he said the Chinese Corporation, CCECC is poised to deliver world-class projects, Alkali assured that the Federal Ministry of Transportation would be willing to support other state governments to replicate the train systems, thereby boosting the Federal Government’s dream of taking train services to all nook and cranny of the country.
Professor Iyiola Oni of the University of Lagos said he is excited that Lagos finally berths and will be deploying two train systems. He said the options will further expand transit alternatives to the people.
An expert in intermodal transportation, Oni urged other states to copy Lagos and move the country away from the mono-modal system.
Abdulahi Aliyu, a management consultant said the new line may eventually outstrip the projections of 250,000 passengers per day. He said the Red Line would be a great relief to hundreds of people living along the corridor who have been at the mercy of the Mass Transit Train operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation only. “Now NRC will have a viable competitor and this would be in the interest of passengers,” he said.
Alhaja Khadijat Egbeyemi, a teacher who lives at Agbado, but works at Agege said the new train would be a blessing to her and her family. Though the government is yet to come up with a price for the trip, Egbeyemi said LAMATA must ensure that the price is competitive to encourage patronage.
Though a detailed train schedule is yet to be released, feelers said LAMATA; the operator of the system might run four train services every hour and might get to 96 trips daily.
Though the fare on the Red Line is yet to be established, as sources within LAMATA said this would be decided after the completion of the test rides, passengers are, however, upbeat that the system would enjoy the 25 per cent rebate slammed on all public transportation by Governor Sanwo-Olu.
