By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Thursday, February 29, inaugurate the Lagos Red Line Train Project.
This was disclosed in a press statement issued by the Lagos state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso.
According to the statement, the Red line train in the first phase of the project, will run from Agbado in Ogun state to Oyingbo in Lagos.
According to the Commissioner, “The train, when fully operational, will run 37 trips and convey about 500,000 passengers daily. The commissioning will signal the take-off of another major game changer in the state’s transportation infrastructure. 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 first phase of the Red Line has eight stations, namely Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba and Oyingbo.
“The train will reduce drastically travel time on the corridor, abate stress-induced health challenges and increase the productive capacity of the economy. It will also reduce traffic gridlock and road accidents, and ensure the safety of commuters.
“As part of the inter-modal connectivity of our public transportation infrastructure, the Red Line is integrated with Bus Terminals at Ikeja, Oshodi, Oyingbo, 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.”
The New Diplomat reports that the Red line rail is expected to be a major boost to the Lagos transportation system especially on Agbado-Iddo route where passengers are seen daily hanging on moving trains due to the shortage of transportation facilities to meet the growing demand of the people.
The Red Line is a 37km rail route proposed to run from Agbado to Marina with 13 stations at Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, MMIA International, (domestic), Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, Ebute Metta, Iddo, Ebute Ero, and Marina.
It is the second mass transportation system in Lagos, after the 27km Blue Line that is already in operation, designed to run from Okokomiko to Marina
The red line proposed as Public Private Partnership (PPP) is one of the six rail lines and one metro line designed to revolutionise the public transportation system in Nigeria’s economic hub. The six rail lines are encapsulated in the state’s transportation master plan, developed by Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).
