*Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State declares the rail transport project is aimed at providing jobs for the citizens, building the state economy so consumers can move from one location to another and businesses can grow

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

As part of efforts at improving traffic management and public transportation for consumers under the administration鈥檚 T.H.E.M.E.S development agenda in the Centre of Excellence, the Lagos State Government (LASG) has acquired two new high-speed trains for its Red Line rail project.

绿帽献妻 reports Mr. Gboyega Akosile, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, revealed this development in a statement issued Wednesday, January 19, 2022, in Lagos.

The two new trains in Milwaukee facilities of Talgo Incorporated, United States

The CPS stated Governor Sanwo-Olu had completed the acquisition deal of the two sets of 10 cars Talgo 330kmph trains Tuesday at an event held inside the Milwaukee facilities of Talgo Incorporated, a Spanish train manufacturer based in the United States (US).

Akosile also noted that the trains would be heading for Lagos for the Red Line 鈥� a 37km track rail project, which the Lagos State Government said would have 11 stations, and when completed become the first operational metro system in West Africa.

The statement further noted the governor said: 鈥淎 train is not something you can just go on the shelf and pick up.

鈥淲e are very lucky to get brand new trains. We have seen our beautiful white and red trains.

Sanwo-Olu noted: 鈥淐oincidentally, the rail line is called Red Line and you can see they have given us the colour.

We are just going to brand it and put up our seal there.鈥�

The Lagos State Governor stated: 鈥淲e hope that this (purchase of the trains) will be the beginning of a mutually beneficial business relationship.

鈥淧roviding source of livelihood for our citizens is all about providing jobs for our people, and that is what we are doing.

鈥淚t is about ensuring that we can build our economy; people can move from one location to another, and businesses can grow.

Interior of one of the trains聽

He also said: 鈥淧art of what we have done in the last two and half years is to have what we call Integrated Urban Mass transportation system, where we will be using road infrastructure, waterway infrastructure, and rail infrastructure so that we can move over 20 million Lagosians within and around the city.鈥�

According to Sanwo-Olu, he and his team were in Milwaukee, in the US, to see things for themselves in respect of the purchase of the trains.

He said that they had inspected the trains, seen their configuration, and were satisfied that they fit into the tracks of the Red Line in Lagos, Nigeria.

Sanwo-Olu, therefore, assured Lagosians that the first phase of the Red Line would begin by the last quarter of 2022, or the first quarter of 2023, with a capacity of 500,000 passengers daily.

Cavalier Johnson, Acting Milwaukee Mayor, who received Governor Sanwo-Olu in the city, was quoted to have said: 鈥淚t is a little bittersweet.

鈥淚 am sending my congratulations to the Governor of Lagos State in Nigeria, but also a little disappointed that we missed out on the opportunity to have those train sets operating here in Milwaukee and in Wisconsin (all in the US).鈥�

In his remark on the occasion, Antonio Perez, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of Talgo, US, stated that it is important that the trains are utilised, and it does not make any good for them to be stored and kept without passengers riding them.

On Governor Sanwo-Olu鈥檚 entourage to the US are Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, Honourable 聽Commissioner for Transportation; Aramide Adeyoye, Special Adviser to Governor on Works; and Abimbola Akinajo, Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

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