President Bola Tinubu is set to inaugurate the Lagos Red Line train project today.
The president, who arrived in Lagos at about 6 p.m., Thursday was received by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor and other government officials at the Murtala Muhammed Airport.
In a statement on Wednesday, Gbenga Omotosho, Lagos commissioner for information, said the commissioning of the Red Line train will signal the take-off of another major game changer in the state’s transportation infrastructure.
Mr. Omotosho added that this is the first phase of the project which will run from Agbado in Ogun state to Oyingbo in the heart of Lagos.
The train will run 37 trips daily and transport approximately 500,000 passengers once it is fully operational.
He said “It brings to two the rail lines owned and operated by the Lagos State Government. The first, the Blue Line, runs from Marina to Mile 2,” the statement reads.
“The rail project is being undertaken by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), an agency under the Ministry of Transportation.
“The Lagos light rail network was flagged off by the Bola Tinubu administration in 2003.
“The train is the first phase of the project, which will run from Agbado in Ogun State to Oyingbo in Lagos, with eight stations including Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and Oyingbo.
“Once fully operational, it is expected to make 37 trips daily, accommodating approximately 500,000 passengers.
“This initiative aims to significantly reduce travel time, alleviate health issues caused by stress, boost economic productivity, ease traffic congestion, minimise road accidents, and enhance commuter safety.
“As part of the inter-modal connectivity of our public transportation infrastructure, the Redline is integrated with bus terminals at Ikeja, Oshodi, Oyingbo, Ikeja, Yaba, and Iju.
“To guarantee the safety of commuters and Lagosians, the rail corridor has 10 vehicular overpasses and pedestrian bridges to separate the train from vehicular and pedestrian traffic.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu said his administration, which is intentional and unrelenting in its efforts to address all traffic issues in the state, has identified indiscriminate parking as one of the major challenges of the free flow of traffic.
The Lagos Rail Mass Transit was conceptualised as part of President Bola Tinubu’s government development plan during his tenure as the Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 among many other iconic public infrastructure projects which has catapulted Lagos to the position of the 5th largest economy in Africa.
