Recently, the Lagos State Government of Nigeria announced that the Lagos Green Line Railway Project, with a total investment of approximately 3 billion US dollars, will officially start construction in December 2025, with an estimated construction period of two to three years. China Harbour Engineering Company Limited will invest in, construct, and operate the project. It has already received an initial fund of 97.2 million US dollars at the beginning of this year. Following the Blue Line and Red Line projects constructed by Chinese enterprises, the launch of the Green Line Railway will further improve the urban rail transit network in Lagos.
The Lagos Green Line is 70 kilometers long, extending from the Coastal Station to the Lekki Free Trade Zone. It has 17 stations along elevated and ground tracks. The line starts at the Coastal Station, passes through Victoria Island, connects the Lekki-Epe Expressway, and extends to Ajah. Sangatte Du and Lekki Free Trade Zone. The stations along the line will adopt modern designs and will be equipped with pedestrian bridges, elevators, and escalators. Additionally, the project will build a train depot near Sangatte Du. The project will also build 15 hectares of parking lots within the Lekki Free Trade Zone. The trains will be 8-carriage B-type vehicles, with a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour, a minimum interval of 3 minutes, and a one-way capacity of up to 35,000 people per hour.
The Lagos State Transport Commissioner stated that the government has conducted extensive feasibility studies and consultations with stakeholders along the Lekki-Epe corridor. And has completed the route selection and environmental preparations. According to the project plan, the first phase of the project will run from the first toll station in Lekki to the Epe section. While the second phase will extend from the coastal station.
The total investment for this project is approximately 3 billion US dollars. Nigeria’s 2025 federal budget includes part of the funds, among which about 146.14 billion naira are federal matching funds. During the African Cooperation Forum Summit in September 2024, the Lagos State Government. The Nigerian Ministry of Finance, and China Harbour Engineering Company Limited signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction. Operation and maintenance of the Lagos Green Line Railway project. At that time, Lagos State Governor Olusegun Obasanjo stated that this project would redefine the public transportation in Lagos.
The Lagos Green Line project is an important supplement to the Lagos urban railway network. And together with the existing Blue Line and Red Line. It will form the main backbone of the city’s transportation system. However, experts have pointed out that the station spacing between Victoria Island and parts of Lekki is relatively large. Which may limit the growth of passenger flow. They suggest adding more stations in high-traffic areas and strengthening connections with the existing lines to improve overall accessibility and system efficiency.
