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Lagos Red Line rail begins passenger operation October 15

‘Too expensive’: Lagosians react as LASG releases Red Line rail fares

Full passenger operations on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line will commence on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, the managing director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo confirmed on Thursday.

Although the total length of the Red Line, is 37 kilometres, from Agbado to Oyingbo, the first phase, which spans 27km, has eight stations at Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege, Iju and Agbado.

It is designed to reduce travel time and alleviate traffic congestion in the metropolis. It has a projected capacity to transport 500,000 passengers daily on full operations.

Read also: Lagos signs MoU for Green Line rail transit

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will lead his executive council members and other dignitaries on the passenger operations launch and ride with commuters on the first fee-paying passenger trip. Akinajo stated that train services will commence daily from Agbado at 6.00 am.

Consequently, the schedule for the train service has been adjusted with passenger movement commencing from 6.00am from Agbado. Before now, trips have emanated from Oyingbo at 9.00 am.

The first train, therefore, got to Agbado at 10.07 am. The adjusted timetable foreshadows upcoming commercial passenger operations commencing on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

Akinajo explained that the new timetable was the outcome of data gathered through the series of tests, including that for the non-fee-paying passengers.

According to her, the new timetable gives priority to the origin trips from Agbado where riders live and work at Ikeja, Oshodi, and Lagos Island.

Read also: $1.9bn Kano-Maradi railway project to be completed 2026

For passengers whose journeys terminate on Lagos Island, buses will be available at the Oyingbo bus terminal for them to complete their journeys.

It should be recalled that infrastructure for the Red Line was commissioned by President Bola Tinubu on February 29, 2024.

SENIOR ANALYST - LABOUR/LAGOS STATE

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