A 31-km redline passengers rail service from Oyingbo, Lagos State, to Agbado in Ogun State is set to begin in the first quarter of 2023, Secretary to the Ogun State Government (SSG), Tokunbo Talabi, has said.
He made this known yesterday during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the rail project between Ogun and Lagos states.
Talabi said the project was another achievement in the series of developments engendered by the Lagos/Ogun Joint Commission.
He added that it was another achievement from the robust understanding and synergy between the governors of the two states in taking advantage of their proximity to better their economies and the lives of their citizens.
Talabi said achievements had been made by the two states through the Lagos/Ogun Joint Commission in the areas of waterways and security, adding: “This is yet another testament of more initiatives to be undertaken by the joint commission.”
READ ALSO: Tinubu insisted on Muslim-Muslim ticket for Action Congress in 2007 elections – Atiku
The SSG said: “The two states have the understanding that what benefits one, benefits the other and what brings convenience to one will mean the same for the other due to their proximity. Integration of the transport system between the two states is highly probable for the benefits of both states.”
Noting that the transport system of any nation or state was critical to its civilisation, Talabi said Ogun State was committed to taking advantage of the sector to improve the livelihood of commuters and citizens alike in Ogun and Lagos states.
Speaking with reporters after the signing of the MoU, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation Dr. Frederick Oladeinde said the redline rail project was 31km.
He said the first phase of 25km stretch from Oyingbo to Agbado was already being constructed and “will be completed by the end of this year”, while passenger operations would start in the first quarter of 2023.
Oladeinde said a train station and depot was being built in Ogun State, noting that the project would create employment opportunities and huge investment within the corridor for the states.
Ogun State Commissioner for Transportation Gbenga Dairo said the state government intended to latch on to the initiative to extend train services beyond Agbado to other parts of the state such as Ijoko, Kajola, among others.
He hailed the Lagos State Government’s initiative in investing massively in rail infrastructure, saying: “The two states are already taking advantage of the significant investment of the Federal Government through the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) along the Lagos/Ibadan standard gauge railway infrastructure, to ensure transportation is effective and efficient to serve the economic needs of Lagos and Ogun as the commercial nerve and industrial hub of the nation.”
Other dignitaries at the event included the Ogun State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tunji Odunlami; Ogun Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Waheed Odusile; Managing Director, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo; Director of Lagos Rail Transportation, Olasunkanmi Okusaya and the Lagos Consultant, Corporate Communication.
