The Lagos State Governor in Southwest Nigeria, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has assured residents of the State that the Red Line Rail system will become operational at the end of this year.
Governor Sanwo-Olu assured after a comprehensive inspection of the Red Line infrastructure, starting from the rail stations at Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Yaba and Ebute Metta.
The rail project starts from Agbado in Ogun State and termites at Oyingbo.
Today, we undertook a comprehensive inspection of the Red Line infrastructure, traversing the major stations of the rail project.
The construction of the Red Line project, which was conceived and started by our administration, is being undertaken by Lagos Metropolitan Area… pic.twitter.com/Vcb71b0GNk
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu) September 27, 2023
The construction of the Red Line project, which was conceived and started during his first term in office, is being undertaken by Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA.
He said the inspection is to see the level of work and close the necessary gaps that can fast-track the process of delivery.
“We kicked off the inspection tour with a visit to Agbado where we took stock of the development of the rail terminal being built hundreds of metres away from the Lateef Jakande Station owned by the Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC).
“In all the stops we made, we could see the state of the stations and their platforms. Though the red line infrastructure is at the finishing stage, we noticed that there is still some work that needs to be done, especially around cleaning up of all illegal activities that are being conducted on the rail corridor, which should not have happened. We are also taking a final approach around all pedestrian bridges to be completed along the route.
“I am indeed impressed with the level of work by all contractors working on the Red Line project. I believe we are on track to finish the project by the end of this year. We will push the contractors to work tirelessly to see that they finish on time. We will be strict on enforcement in taking out intruders from the rail corridor. We have given evacuation notices to all traders found on that axis. We will wall off the entire corridor to make it free for passengers’ movement when the operation starts.”
He added that the government is aware that citizens are anxious to use the infrastructure, but could not take safety measures for granted.
He therefore urged those involved in illegal trading on the rail corridor to desist as the whole rail tracks would be walled off with concrete to prevent damages by unscrupulous individuals.
The Blue Line rail which takes passengers from Marina to Mile-2 was activated on September 4th 2023 and according to the Governor, the Red Line when operational will change the face of transportation in Lagos State.
