When President Bola Tinubu commissioned the Red Rail Line project of the Lagos State government on Februry 29, 2024, the thinking of many residents, especially those living along the Iddo, Mushin, Oshodi, Agege and Agbado corridor was that they too would soon be commuting on state-owned trains like residents on the Lagos-Badagry route.

The realisation of that quest may not come soon, as commercial operation has not started or a test-run of the facility. Although the commissioning of the Red Rail Line did not experience much delayed like the Blue Rail Line, but it also suffered a number of missed completion and commissioning dates like the Blue Rail Line.

With the project commissioned and the trains not operating, a resident of Ilupeju, Joy Ndubuisi, is, however, disappointed that three months after the commissioning, the train has not started moving passengers.

“Why commission a project that’s not ready for operation, but we are used to the system.” She, however, said it was best government completed everything necessary for a smooth operation, “because one thing is to build infrastructures and another is to have a solid structure in place for maintenance.” On his part, another resident, Ayo Longe, said that it is a sad situation because those in government take the people for a ride with their deception.

“Why commission a project when it is not ready? There is no reason for commissioning an unfinished project.“This situation ought not to be so, but the people need to rise up to hold government accountable. That is why a law like the Freedom of Information Act was enacted to enable citizens to be able to meaningfully engage with the government on such projects. The opposition also must not relent in calling the attention of the government to their failure and thereby keep them on their toes. Every well-meaning Lagosian should call on the government to do the right thing.”

Longe was, nonetheless, optimistic that if the train works, it would drastically reduce the number of vehicles on the road and subsequently reduce the perennial traffic hold-ups often experienced on Lagos roads daily.

Also commenting, Uche Okoro said he has been expecting that the commercial operation would commence also immediately that the project was commissioned.

“Of a truth, I have been wondering why the train has not commenced operation. Yet, there is a train service on the road but it is not operated the way the Blue Rail line is operated. And I’m always jealous of my fellow traders who connect Lagos Island daily using the train from Mile 2.”

Okoro said that whatever is needed for the commencement of commercial operation on the Red Rail Line should be done so that residents could begin to enjoy the service.

The red line rail project has eight stations sited in Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba and Oyingbo, which would be managed by the Lagos State Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA).

When it becomes fully operational, it is expected to run 37 trips, conveying about 250,000 passengers daily, which will eventually grow to 750,000 passengers daily.

Of note is that the segment that was inaugurated spanning 27 kilometres from Agbado to Oyingbo, with state-of-the-art stations at Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and Oyingbo is the first phase of the Red Line Rail project.

This is because the entire stretch of the Red Line Rail project is 37 kilometre. It was, therefore, not surprising that the at the ceremony, LAMATA and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) signed agreement contract for the construction of the Phase Two of the Red Line, from Oyingbo to the National Theatre in Iganmu to link the Blue Line Rail enroute Marina.

Unlike the Blue Line Rail, which took quite a time before it was completed, the construction of the Red Line Rail project started mid-2020. The speed with which it was completed must have been aided by the fact that it has a track sharing agreement with the Nigerian Railway Corporation, especially from Agbado to Ebute-Metta.

Nonetheless, while the project had track sharing agreement between Agbado and Ebute-Metta, within the same corridor, the state government as part of the Red Line Rail project, constructed five over-pass bridges at Pen Cinema (Agege), Mushin, Ikeja, Oyingbo, and Yaba, aside building some train stations to complement existing ones.