The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) on Tuesday commenced test-running of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line.
This is in preparation for the start of passenger operations, after weeks of engineering, speed and weight tests.
LAMATA’s Head of Corporate Communication, Kolawole Ojelabi, who disclosed this, said the test run demonstrated track sharing arrangement with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
“The test run successfully simulated, demonstrated track sharing arrangement with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) involving all station officers and officials.
“This operational test run aims to improve the efficiency of the rail system’s operational framework.
“This signifies a significant step towards commencing passenger operations on the Red Line, which aims to revolutionize transportation in Lagos,” Ojelabi said.
According to him, the test run was carried out with the British rail set class 43 HST train.
“The British rail class 43 HST train offers flexible seating per coach. It can comfortably seat 60 passengers per coach for shorter trips, but it can accommodate up to 150 people, including standing passengers for intracity commute.
“The train can be configured with five or six carriages. While it can exceed 120 kilometers per hour (mph), its operational speed is currently limited to 50 mph due to regulations set by the National Railway Corporation (NRC).
“The project is anticipated to significantly impact the growth of Lagos’s economic activity and overall quality of life. It will reduce travel times between Agbado and Oyingbo to just 55 minutes from close to three hours,” Ojelabi added.
The project which started in April 2021 was completed within a 30-months window. President Bola Tinubu commissioned it in February.
It is expected to move 500,000 passengers daily. This translates to 3.5 million passengers weekly and 15 million passengers a month.
The Red Line rail spans 37 Kilometers and runs from Agbado to Marina with 13 stations in Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, MMIA International, MMIA domestic, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, Ebute-Metta, Iddo, Ebute Ero, and Marina.
It reduces travel time from Agbado to Oyingbo by about 1:20 minutes.
According to Jubril Gawat, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on New Media, the trial run will take 4-6 weeks to be done. During this period, he said there will be 4 trips per day — 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon.