The Lagos State government has acquired two-speed trains from the United States for deployment on the State’s Red Line rail project.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led the government’s team that conducted the purchase of the trains, which was held on Wednesday at an event inside the Milwaukee facilities of Spanish train manufacturer Talgo Incorporated in the United States (U.S.).
The two sets of 10-car speed trains have a speed of 30km/ph.
Those who accompanied the governor were the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde; Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Aramide Adeyoye, and Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo,
These were contained in a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary Gboyega Akosile, who said the trains would be delivered in Lagos for deployment on the 37 km track rail project.
“A train is not something you can just go on the shelf and pick up. We are very lucky to get brand new trains. We have seen our beautiful white and red trains. Coincidentally, the rail line is called Red Line and you can see they have given us the colour. We are just going to brand it and put up our seal there,” the statement said.
“We hope that this (purchase of the trains) will be the beginning of a mutually beneficial business relationship. Providing a source of livelihood for our citizens is all about providing jobs for our people and that is what we are doing. It is about ensuring that we can build our economy; people can move from one location to another and businesses can grow.
“Part of what we have done in the last two and half years is to have what we call Integrated Urban Mass transportation system, where we will be using road infrastructure, waterway infrastructure and rail infrastructure so that we can move over 20 million Lagosians within and around the city.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu said the first phase of the Red Line will begin operations by the last quarter of 2022 or the first quarter of 2023, with a capacity of 500,000 passengers daily.
