The 37 Kilometer Lagos Red Line train project was commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday.
This Red Line rail project is a 37 Kilometer North-South rail route that will stretch from Agbado in Ogun state to Marina, featuring 13 stations at Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, MMIA International, MMIA Domestic, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, Ebute Meta, Iddo, Ebute Ero, and Marina.
With an aim to facilitate 37 trips daily, the system is expected to accommodate approximately 500,000 passengers. Unlike the electric-powered Blue Line, the Red Line will utilize a diesel-powered system known as Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), which opened on September 4, 2023.
The rail system falls under the management of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). Initial estimates for the Red Line project were at a cost of $135 million under the Greater Lagos Urban Transportation Project. However, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu revealed that the combined cost of both the Blue and Red Lines would exceed N100 billion. The construction was carried out by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).
The inception of developing a rapid transit system in Lagos dates back to 1983 with the Lagos Metroline network conceived by Alhaji Lateef Jakande during the Second Nigerian Republic. The original Metroline project was halted in 1985 by Muhammadu Buhari, resulting in a loss of over $78 million to state taxpayers.
In 2003, then-Governor Bola Tinubu revived the rail network project for Lagos State with a formal announcement of its construction.
Following the commissioning, Tinubu will depart Lagos for a two-day official visit to the State of Qatar, upon the invitation by His Highness, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar.