Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Saturday carried out a test run of the Lagos Red Line ahead of next week’s commissioning of the project by President Bola Tinubu.
The Lagos State governor also inspected the tracks and the rail corridors. Some of the comfort facilities inspected by Governor Sanwo-Olu included the train’s cooling system, handrails, cushioned seats, and in-built safety features of the wagons.
Today, I was at the Ikeja Train Station for the pivotal test run of the brand-new trains dedicated to our transformative Red Line Rail Project.
The Red Line Rail Project which I performed the groundbreaking on April 15th, 2021 is a momentous step towards a connected and… pic.twitter.com/CzynLh8759
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu) February 24, 2024
“We just completed another inspection of the Red Rail Line facility and corridor; now we are back in Ikeja Mega Station. We all have just used the train to Iju and back. I’m sure our media men can fully report what we all witnessed in the course of the short journey. This rail infrastructure is ready for inauguration, but we still have a few cleaning to do,” Sanwo-Olu said in a statement by his chief press secretary Gboyega Akosile.
“The challenge we have is the pedestrian interference on the rail track and unapproved activities seen along the corridor. We will continue with the enforcement we started against illegal use of the rail corridor. We are in talks with NRC (Nigeria Railway Corporation) to reinforce the train route with physical barriers to limit pedestrian interference.”
He told residents of the state to abide by safety measures in using the rail line, saying, “We have reduced human interference on the track considerably over the last two months, but enforcement continues.
“The stations are ready, the trains are ready and I believe Lagosians are ready to welcome this new infrastructure built for their use and benefit.”
Sanwo-Olu’s deputy Obafemi Hamzat and members of the State cabinet were part of the entourage.
The 37-kilometre rail line built by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) will be inaugurated by President Tinubu, along with its stations and other ancillary facilities. The Red Line traverses seven stations from Agbado, a boundary town in Ogun State, to Oyingbo in Lagos Central.