Tinubu Commissions Lagos Red Line Rail Project

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday commissioned the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line project.

Speaking during the unveiling of the 27 km first phase of the rail project stretching from Agbado in Ogun State to the National Theatre in Iganmu, in Ikeja, Tinubu commended the Lagos Area Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA) and the Lagos State Government for such a massive project.

Tinubu said “We are gathered for the inauguration of the second of the 6th rail line projects and I thank our political leaders here for believing in us and lifting our spirit, we said we can do it and you believed in us, we said the people’s life will end up being better, you believed in us.

“We hear lots of noise right now, I asked for this job, I cannot complain. For this revolution that is starting, this ongoing reform, we are not looking back. It is the affirmation of our pledge to be loyal to our country, there is a bright light under the tunnel,” he said.

The president said he agreed that corruption and smugglers are fighting back, saying “We will fight them, corruption will go away and we will save the money for you, for your children. The fight is on, we will be on it and we are not looking back.”

He said what LAMATA and the Lagos State Government had done is a strong reminder that true change is possible and “change we must achieve, the progress we must achieve, it is not about a single individual, we have a huge population in the world, we cannot afford to relax, the burgeoning population, we must plan and prepare for it and this economy, we will grow it and we will feed ourselves out of the destitution and we will be happy we did it.

“We must exterminate corruption, no matter how hard it is fighting back, we must adhere to our pledge, perseverance, consistency and staying focus.”

In his speech at the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the LRMT Red Line- a 37-kilometre marvel of modern engineering, stretched from Agbado in Ogun State to the National Theatre in Iganmu.

He said the segment being inaugurated today spanned an impressive 27 kilometres from Agbado to Oyingbo, featuring state-of-the-art stations at Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and Oyingbo.

“We started construction in mid-2020, and I am happy that our administration has been able to complete it. As part of the project, we have also completed the construction of five over-passes strategically located at Pen Cinema (Agege), Mushin, Ikeja, Oyingbo, and Yaba, and ingeniously designed to ensure the seamless flow of vehicular traffic, undisturbed by the rail infrastructure.

“Mr. President, in the pursuit of operational excellence and in our steadfast commitment to enhancing the lives of our citizens, the launch of the red line commenced with the introduction of two state-of-the-art Spanish-manufactured Talgo train sets procured in 2022. We subsequently procured an additional two sets of GWR rolling stock from the United Kingdom in 2023.

“And just a few weeks ago, bolstered by the unwavering support of the Federal Government, I was in China to finalize the purchase of six additional sets of rolling stock for both the Blue and Red Lines. These are currently being retrofitted for intra-state travel; and when they arrive, we will be able to increase the number of daily passenger trips,” Sanwo-Olu stated.