LAMATA secures permanent NRC licence to expand Lagos Red Line operations
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has granted the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) a permanent rail operating licence and a long-term Track Access Agreement, paving the way for a major expansion of commuter services on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Red Line.
The approval gives LAMATA legal authority to operate passenger and freight services along the Red Line corridor between Agbado and Oyingbo while providing a long-term framework for future rail expansion. It also eliminates the need for a fresh baseline licensing process for every new rail corridor.
As part of the expansion, Red Line services will increase from the current nine daily trips to 24 trips by the fourth quarter of 2026 following the arrival of additional rolling stock. The 15-year operating licence also covers the Blue Line and future rail projects developed by LAMATA.
Speaking during the licence presentation at the NRC headquarters, Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, described the approval as the culmination of more than two decades of collaboration between both organisations.
Opeifa said LAMATA had become the first subnational government in Nigeria to maximise unused operational windows on federal railway infrastructure to improve public transportation, expressing hope that other states would adopt a similar model.
He added that railway infrastructure remains critical to economic development and said the administration of President Bola Tinubu is committed to expanding transport infrastructure for the benefit of Nigerians.
Receiving the licences, LAMATA Managing Director, Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, said the approval followed years of rigorous regulatory assessments and close collaboration with the NRC. She noted that it would enable the authority to maximise operational windows on the Red Line and increase passenger capacity.
Akinajo said LAMATA plans to operate 24 daily Red Line services by the last quarter of 2026 after taking delivery of additional trains capable of carrying at least 2,000 passengers per direction. She added that the authority already operates 94 daily trips on the Blue Line and remains committed to providing faster, safer and more reliable rail services for Lagos residents.
