The Minister of Transport, Sa’id Alkali, has urged other states to emulate Lagos State, saying the success of its Red Line rail project exemplified collaboration between the federal and state governments.

Mr Alkali said collaborative efforts between the federal and state governments enhance the nation’s well-being and economy. He said this at the official inauguration of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line on Thursday by President Bola Tinubu.

The transport minister noted that the inauguration reflected the collaborative efforts of the federal and Lagos governments, which had led to the commissioning of the Red Line project.

He added that the ministry would work with some state governors to achieve railway connections to enable the choice of transportation for passengers, urging the governors to imitate Lagos.

The Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, commended Nigeria for giving them the opportunity to complete the Blue Line project.

Mr Cui said the project would contribute immensely to Nigeria’s development.

“Mr President, today in China, we celebrate an auspicious day, which is a symbol of good things, and this shows that the commencement of the Red Line project being today will be more successful.

“I also congratulate Mr President for making the 20-year project completed and we also want to use this opportunity to improve more on infrastructure and technology. There is a need to improve security which will improve the country’s economic Gross Domestic Product generation,” he said.

Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat said the commissioning of the project would not have been possible without Mr Tinubu’s vision during his tenure as governor of Lagos with the establishment of the Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

Mr Hamzat pointed out that on January 24, 2023, the Lagos State Government commissioned the Blue Line, which had five stations from Marina to Mile 2, now moving over 250,000 passengers daily.

The Red Line project is a 37km rail route from Agbado to Marina with stations at Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushing, Yaba, Oyingbo, Iddo, Ebute Ero and Marina.

As agreed by the federal and Lagos governments, the Red Line project is sharing the NRC rail track from Agbado to Ebute Metta Junction (EBJ) and then carry-on across the Lagoon to Marina via Iddo, with the Marina station sharing the hub with the Blue Line station integrated with other transport modes.

The Red Line uses the International Standard Gauge (1435mm) and is expected to carry 750,000 passengers daily at inception and 1,100,000 when fully operational.

The Lagos government funds the Red Line LRMT project through a development loan syndication from domestic commercial banks.

(NAN)