Lagos Rail Mass Transit
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Lagos State Managed by Eko Rail under a Concession Agreement |
| Locale | Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Transit type | Rapid Transit |
| Number of lines | 1 under construction (Blue Line) 6 more planned (Red, Green, Yellow, Purple, Brown and Orange) |
| Operation | |
| Operation will start | December 2016 |
| Operator(s) | Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) |
| Technical | |
| System length | 35 km (22 mi) (planned) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Standard Gauge |
Lagos Rail Mass Transit is an urban rail system being developed and under construction in Lagos. The system is a Public–private partnership project, being managed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and is envisioned to consist eventually of seven lines. The railway equipment including electric power, signalling, rolling stock, and fare collection equipment will be provided by the private sector under a Concession Contract. LAMATA is responsible for policy direction, regulation, and infrastructure for the network. The concessionaire will generate its own dedicated electricity. The first section of the network (Phase I of the Blue Line) was originally scheduled to enter revenue service by the first quarter of 2014. It was announced in February 2016 that operations will officially start in December 2016.
The idea of developing rapid transit in Lagos dates from the 1980s with the Lagos Metroline network conceived by the Alhaji Lateef Jakande during the Second Nigerian Republic. The initial Metroline project was scrapped in 1985 by Muhammadu Buhari at a loss of over $78 million to the Lagos tax payers. The idea of developing a light rail network for Lagos was revived by Governor Bola Tinubu in the early 2000s with a formal announcement of its construction in December 2003. This initial $135 million proposal was part of the greater Lagos Urban Transportation Project to be implemented by the newly formed Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). LAMATA initially concentrated on developing a Bus Rapid Transit system, running from Mile 12 to Lagos Island. In 2008, LAMATA began also to make progress with the rail project, focusing initially on the Blue Line and the Red Line.
In September 2011, LAMATA announced that it would acquire some H5-series subway trains formerly used by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The cars were to be refurbished in the United States and converted to standard gauge before being imported and put into service on the Blue and Red lines. The same contract also included an option for some H6-series subway cars from the TTC, however this has since been cancelled. The trains were built as two-unit married pairs with a driver's cab in the front right corner of each car.
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