The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has granted a 3-year operational licence for the Lagos Blue Line and a six-month temporary license for the Red Line mass transit light rail systems.
The licenses were officially handed over by NRC’s Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, to Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), on behalf of the Lagos State Government.
LAMATA announced this in a statement on its official X handle account. “A significant milestone in Nigerian railway transportation has been recorded by the Lagos State Government as the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) issued operational licences for Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue and Red Lines,” the statement read in part.
The approval for the Red Line was released just days before passenger operations commenced on Tuesday on the Red Line 27-kilometer first phase, from Agbado in neighbouring Ogun State to Oyingbo in central Lagos. Its permanent approval is subject to further assessments, according to the NRC statement.
Okhiria, in the statement, praised LAMATA’s efforts in securing the licenses, expressing confidence in their success and noting that this marks the first time another entity will operate trains in the state.
With this, Lagos now boasts of two light rail mass transit. The first is the Blue Line, a 27km rail line. It is a key part of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) system. Its first phase covers 13km from Marina to Mile 2. It was completed in 2023 and began commercial operations in September same year.
The Red Line, a 37km project, connects Agbado in Ogun State to Oyingbo, Lagos. Its first phase spans 27km and features eight strategically located stations: Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and Oyingbo, enhancing connectivity across Lagos and into Ogun State.