A LAGOS WITH METRO LINE

 Josiah Akinyele writes that Lagosians would soon be riding the Metro, 40 years after it was mooted

If Lagos State is the economic nerve centre of Nigeria, Lagos Island would qualify as the heartbeat of the state. Boasting proximity to the major ports of Apapa and Tin Can, Lagos Island hosts headquarters of major banks, finance houses and other companies. Like Broad Street is synonymous with commerce, same goes for others, in varying degrees. And just over at Victoria Island lie the swanky offices, homes, hotels and touristy spots. A little beyond on the former Bar Beach lies the futuristic Eko Atlantic City.

For many years, the high cost of real estate in these areas ensured that while it was a permanent enclave for a few individuals, it was thronged on for work or leisure by majority from far flung places across Lagos. And even beyond. It is common to see huge vehicular traffic conveying workers into the Island in the mornings. In the evenings, the outgoing traffic from the Island snakes as workers leave. A similar flow is noticed with buyers and sellers at the various markets and other visitors and tourists. Motor vehicles were the main way people commuted between the mainland and the Island of Lagos. 

Hitherto, the single rail line operated by the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) in Lagos State began at Alagbado and terminated at the Iddo Terminus. But with the introduction of the Lagos Metro line by the end of this year, history would be made. The mainland would be connected to the island by rail.

Looking at the map of the Lagos metro system which is designed with red and blue brings to mind the colour scheme of the London Transportation map. The Red Line which begins at Agbado would terminate at CMS. With a length of 37Km, it would have stops at Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, Ebutte Meta, Oyingbo, Iddo, Ebutte Ero and Marina. Then there is the 27.5km Blue Line which begins at Okokomaiko and terminates at Marina. It has stops at LASU, Volkswagen, Tradefair, Alakija, Festac, Mile 2, Alaba, Iganmu, National Theatre, Ebutte Ero and Marina. It is estimated it would convey half a million people daily. In continuation, Lagos State has plans to extend the metro system to cover a wider space with the introduction of Brown, Orange, Purple, Green and Yellow Lines.

First proposed by former Lagos State governor, Lateef Jakande, the Lagos metro project was scuttled by the military regime in 1983. Coincidentally, it was the present President, Muhammadu Buhari, that headed that regime. It would take the re-imagination of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in 2003 to re-initiate the project. And through several administrations, challenges and setbacks, the idea of a Lagos Metro Line gradually started becoming a reality.

In January 2022, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu visited the US state of Wisconsin, to announce the purchase of two Talgo VIII trainsets for service on the Red Line. The trains had been ordered by Wisconsin for use on the Amtrak Hiawatha Service in 2009, but they were never placed in service, and were instead stored.

The Lagos Metro Line would be managed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). Already, the tracks have been laid, bridges have been built, stations have been built and finally the two gleaming Talgo VIII trains and coaches which were bought in Milwaukee, United States, for use on the Red Line recently arrived Lagos. It was with a renewed promise of a less chaotic transportation system. Taking to Twitter to announce the arrival of the trains recently, Governor Sanwo-Olu, tweeted, “On 15th April, 2021, when I performed the ground breaking ceremony of our Red Line Metro Project, I announced that we would hit major milestones quickly.

“I am excited to announce that the twin Talgo intra city ten coach Metropolitan trains for the project have arrived in Lagos!”

Many Lagosians can’t wait to ride on it. And for good reason too. Since the days when Molue, the modified yellow and black striped painted Mercedes Benz and Bedford truck-turned buses, packed commuters like sardines in a tin, public transportation has evolved. First was the phasing out of the Molue, which had become a nasty Lagos signature. To replace it were luxury buses under a Bus Rapid Transportation (BRT) scheme. Already, the BRT has achieved success and is embraced by many Lagosians. The state government has also focused on water transportation and built more jetties. Now, with the coming of the rails, the vision of an interconnected mode of transportation is set to become a reality. At the CMS, depending on one’s destination, people would have the choice of commuting by rail, road or water or any combination. Other similar connections with the BRT exist throughout the rail corridors.

With the high population density, moving around in Lagos is hectic. According to the Lagos State Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA), there are over five million cars and 200, 000 commercial vehicles on Lagos roads. The agency issues an average of 20, 000 licence plates monthly and controls more than 60% of number plates issued in the country. In fact, Lagos is the only state that produces number plates. It also records an average of 227 vehicles for every kilometre of road compared to the national average of 11 vehicles per kilometre of road. Coupled with a population of 20 million people, it is little wonder Lagos is plagued with monster traffic jams.

A 2021 report by a Lagos-based research institute, Danne Institute for Research, hinted that Lagosians spent an estimated 14.12 million hours lost by Lagosians while commuting to work daily. Professor Franca Ovadje, Founder/Executive Director, Danne Institute, presented the findings of the research at the virtual Transport and Traffic Conference organised by the institute.

“We found that the cost to individuals of traffic congestion is N133,978.68 per annum for those who own their vehicles and N79,039.40 each year for those who use public transport,” said Professor Ovadje.

“The total loss to Lagos is estimated at 14.12 million hours per day or N3.834 trillion per annum.”

At that event, Commissioner for Transport, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, said that the strategy of the government is to modernise and maximise existing transport networks and implement the Lagos Transport Master Plan that proposes investment in a multimodal transport system like waterways and seven rail lines, and the development of the millionaire cities so that residents won’t have to go to the island to get well-paying jobs or do business. A year later, the state is much closer to those goals as the BRT system and First Last Mile (FLM) system are becoming more acceptable, the romance with water transportation is getting tighter and Lagosians would finally be able to ride the Metro, forty years after it was mooted.

Lagos is Nigeria’s smallest state by land mass but it is also the most populated. The congestion translates into the traffic jams which have become characteristic of the state. Ask anyone who moves around in Lagos, they would have a horror story or more to tell you about the traffic. But with the introduction of the Metro Line and its potential to move half a million passengers daily, it promises to ease transportation, free Lagos roads of more cars and ensure efficiency in transportation. Who wouldn’t love that?

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Akinyele writes from Lagos