Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has announced that President Tinubu will launch the Red Line Rail project in the last week of February.
Sanwo-olu disclosed this during his visit to the headquarters of the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation in Dalian, China.
The governor visited the headquarters of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation in Dalian, China, to conclude the conversations with the top management of the company on the purchase of new rolling stock for the Blue and Red rail lines in Lagos State.
While he was there, he said that his administration is committed to reducing the traffic congestion in Lagos, which is the first ‘T’ in the THEMES+ Agenda, which stands for Traffic Management and Transportation.
He said he is expecting the new rolling stock to arrive in December this year.
The company also reassured the governor that the additional rolling stock would be delivered by the end of the year.
Governor Sanwo-Olu during the meeting, expressed his government’s commitment to reducing traffic congestion in Lagos in line with Traffic Management and Transportation, which is the first pillar of the THEMES+ developmental agenda.
The Governor charged the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, which delivered those of the Blue Line train, to deliver additional rolling stock for the Red and Blue lines before the end of the year.
The company, in their response to the governor’s request, assured that the additional rolling stock, which the Lagos State Government procured from China for the Blue and Red lines would be delivered in December.
They also expressed their commitment to a continuous partnership and relationship with the Lagos State government in rail transportation.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who is currently in China with some top government officials on a working visit, said Lagos will ensure the deployment of modern technology in infrastructural development.
He said, “We are at the Dalian train manufacturing plant. They are manufacturers of the existing Blue Line trains. We have also come here to order new rolling stock for both the Red Line and additional rolling stock for the Blue Line.
“It is a very impressive facility. They have been in this business for over 100 years. And they are indeed one of the foremost and best-known train coaches manufacturers in the world. As you can see, these are all finished products that have been done for other cities. And I am sure, like you have seen the red ones, the ones for Lagos too will be on this track very soon.
“We are indeed excited that we are also bringing the technology back to us in Lagos. They have agreed with us, and given the number of rolling stock we are procuring, there is a need for us to have a joint maintenance conversation. And we have seen that indeed, when we collaborate like this, we are not just doing procurement; we are actually doing knowledge and skill transfer. Lagos still expects a whole lot more.
“A train is not something you just buy off the shelf. We were not as lucky as when we were in Milwaukee, which was produced for a particular city, but we had to just pay the premium and take it off. It usually takes between two to three years for you to finish the manufacturing because each one of them has its specifications, platform, and load that you require.
“They have done the Blue line before. So, in less than a year, we are going to still have a tough discussion with them. Before the end of the year, we are expecting that some of the rolling stock will start coming in. And the final bid should come in early next year. We are ready for them. This is the best we can get in terms of delivery time.”