Residents of Lagos State Wednesday evening experienced massive gridlock on major roads as President Bola Tinubu arrived to open the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line.
A press statement issued by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority announced that the President would visit to officially open the 27 kilometre-long train on Thursday, February 29, 2024.
The statement said, “President Tinubu to launch Lagos Red Line rail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Thursday 29th February 2024 perform the commissioning of the infrastructure for the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line.
“The first phase of the Red Line stretches 27 kilometres from Agbado to Oyingbo with eight stations at Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba and Oyingbo.
“The groundbreaking and commencement of civil works for the rail project started on 21st April 2021 and with the dedication, project management and monitoring, the infrastructure was completed with a 30-months window.”
The Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), said, “We have remained focused and worked conscientiously to deliver the Red Line. With the Red Line, people from far away Agbado can travel to Oyingbo in just about 40 minutes, a journey that can take more than two hours through the road.”
“We project that this phase of the Red Line will move about 500,000 passengers daily. So we appeal to the people not to rush to enter the train. The cabins have enough spaces to move more than 1000 people at a time,” she said.
Some residents who spoke to SaharaReporters lamented the traffic jam, saying it was compounded by the closure of the Third Mailand Bridge for repairs.
A video uploaded on Instagram by Pulseng seen by SaharaReporters showed the moment the presidential convoy passed through Adeniji Adele Road, Third Mainland Bridge on Wednesday evening.
Heavy traffic was witnessed on one side of the road, forcing many vehicles to stand still while Tinubu and his convoy moved on the opposite free side of the road.
