Lagos, Chinese firm sign MoU for Lekki-Ajah-VI rail construction 

Lagos State Government is set to commence the construction of the Green Rail Line linking Victoria Island, Lekki and Ajah.

The state government, Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of the Green Line Rail.

The MoU, witnessed by Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Olawale Edun, and key officials, was signed during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, China.

This partnership will see MOFI and CHEC provide the financing, design, operation, and maintenance of the Green Line, which will complement the already operational Blue and Red Lines, serving thousands of Lagos residents daily.

Speaking at the event, Governor Sanwo-Olu highlighted the transformative impact of the Green Line Rail, which will link major areas such as Victoria Island, Lekki, and Ajah.

“This historic MoU marks the beginning of an ambitious project that will redefine public transportation in Lagos,” said Sanwo-Olu.

“The Green Line, a 68km rail running from Lekki Free Zone to Marina, will connect with the Blue Line, linking key areas and revolutionizing our transport infrastructure.”

At launch, the rail line is expected to transport over 500,000 passengers daily, with capacity projected to rise to over a million as demand increases. According to the governor, the project aligns with the state’s Strategic Transport Masterplan, which aims to build a fast, efficient, and interconnected transport system.

Excitement as passengers begin free ride on new Lagos Red Rail Line

The Lagos Mass Transit Red Line Rail on Wednesday commenced partial operations with non-fee-paying passengers riding.

Spokesperson for the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Kolawole Ojelabi, announced the start of the new train operations in a statement on Tuesday.

President Bola Tinubu commissioned the Red Line Rail Mass Transit project on February 29 this year, marking a significant milestone in the city’s transportation system.

According to LAMATA, the Red Line Rail is one of the six rail lines and one monorail prescribed for Lagos in her Strategic Transport Master Plan.

The trains will convey passengers free and run four daily trips between Oyingbo and Agbado.

It is also a transport project connecting Lagos with Ogun State, as many Lagos workers and business owners reside in Ogun.

Ojelabi said the milestone marked the culmination of planning and training of technical and ground staff; installation of all the security features, and a successful six-week trial run conducted without passengers to ensure the system’s safety, reliability, and efficiency.

“From Wednesday, August 28, the Red Line system will interact with non-fee-paying passengers in organised groups to collect feedback before the commencement of commercial operations.

“The partial operations, similar to what was done during the test phase of the Blue Line, is a major step forward in realising the Lagos State Government’s vision of a modern, efficient, integrated and sustainable transportation system.

“The Red Line’s first phase, a 27-kilometre rail road from Agbado to Oyingbo, will provide a reliable and affordable transportation option for commuters, reducing traffic congestion and improving the quality of life for Lagos residents,” Ojelabi said.

House committee on Land Transport tours NRC facilities, moves for railway unbundling 

The House of Representatives is taking steps towards the unbundling of the Nigerian Railway Corporation to fully deregulate the industry and encourage more private sector investments.

Chairman, House Committee on Land Transport, Blessing Onuh, stated this on Friday after leading members of the committee on a visit of the NRC facilities on the Lagos corridor.

She spoke a few months after the railway development/management was moved from the exclusive legislative to concurrent list giving state governments powers to build and operate railway systems.

Onuh, daughter of the former Senate President Senator David Mark, who is representing the Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency, said a bill for the unbundling of the NRC was already before the House of Representatives.

“The unbundling will allow people to come in and develop the rail sector,” she noted.

She also said, “The bill has passed the first reading. Hopefully, it will be coming for second reading shortly.

“That bill is a proposed bill to unbundle the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to allow companies to come in; to allow private partnership (firms) to invest in the rail sector and that will enhance development.”

She said an effective railway transport system would enhance the socio-economic development of the country.

She stressed that the committee would provide the needed legislative support for the rail transport mode to thrive.

“Rail transport is very vital to the development of every nation. So, we need to encourage the railway transport sector,” she said.

Onuh said they were during the facility tour taken through the various units of train operations by the NRC Managing Director, Mr Fidet Okhiria and other management team, including the Alex Ekwueme Control Tower, before boarding the standard train at the Mobolaji Johnson Train Station in Lagos for a trip to Ibadan.

She said the team made a stopover at the Kajola Wagon Assembly Plant (KWAP), where the committee was informed that the facility was one of the Corporate Social Responsibility’s contributions by the Chinese contractors to the Nigerian government.

NRC MD Okhiria also spoke on the central control centre, saying it had not been activated due to unstable power supply, adding that efforts were underway to develop a stable energy source as well as a back-up energy to enable the control centre monitor everything happening on the entire railway corridor.