By Demi Adeniyi
The Lagos State Government may be eyeing N438 million in the first year of operation of the Red Rail line which commenced commercial operation on October 15, 2024.
The Red Line is scheduled to run two shuttles on the morning and evening peak periods and this is expected to be expanded as passenger traffic gets to its peak.
The price schedule by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) had scheduled the fare list into Zone 1 and 2, with Zone 1 which was from Oyingbo to Agbado or vice versal being N1,500, while Zone 2, ranges from between N500 to N1000 and these ranges from between Agbado -Iju-Agege N500, Agege to Ikeja N500, also listed as N500 are Ikeja-Oshodi; Oshodi-Mushin, Mushin – Yaba and Yaba-Oyingbo.
Also listed on Zone 1 are Agege-Oyingbo, Agege-Yaba and Agege-Mushin which are N1000, respectively.
Though passenger traffic is yet to gain much traction since commercial operation began seven days ago, the 800 full capacity mass transit train, when fully subscribed, is expected to rake in N438 million, or somewhere not lower than N219 million (given that average trip is N500), within its first year of operation.
This is a conservative estimate/projection compared to the LAMATA’s projection which has expected it to carry 500,000 from its first day of operation, raking in about N750,000,000 daily and N273 billion in the first year.
Already many Lagosians have picked holes against the high-end price list which they argued were unrealistic.
The Red Line is expected to significantly cut travel time and create a high level of convenience for passengers who, for decades, have had to contend with privately run rickety commercial buses.
The Red Line is the second of such light rail systems funded, executed and fully owned by the Lagos State government, to begin operations in Nigeria’s most populous city.
The first, was the Blue Line Rail, commissioned by former President Muhmmadu Buhari in January, last year, and commenced running on the Lagos-Badagry corridor from Marina to Mile 2 on September 4. The Blue Line in its first year of operation have carried over one million passengers.
The Blue line which also started with two peak hours: 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. with 90-second stops at each station.
The train service updated to run 54 trips from Monday, October 16, 2023, and increased to 76 trips, from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. operating with 90-second stops at each station.
On the Red Line, the train is currently expected to stop at each of the eight stations for some three minutes and it takes a minimum of seven minutes to move from one station to the other on the corridor.
When its operations are eventually increased, it is expected that there would be more frequency on the Red Line Train taking people from Agbado to Oyingbo.
Passengers are expected to make payment with Cowry Card to board the light train.
Meanwhile, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who launched the Red Line commercial operations, warned residents against vandalism.