Lagos State opens Mushin Flyover, final of five Red Line overpasses for public use 

The Lagos State Government has officially opened the Mushin Flyover for public use, marking the completion of the last of five overpasses constructed along the Red Line Corridor.  

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu inaugurated the Mushin Flyover on Saturday and announced the project via his official X (formerly Twitter) account.  

Governor Sanwo-Olu highlighted that the opening of the new overpass will improve safety by keeping pedestrians and vehicles away from the train tracks, preventing accidents, and opening new routes to Agege Motor Road, Post Office Road, and Ogunmokun, thereby easing travel and boosting the local economy.  

“It pleases me to share that the Mushin Flyover — the last of the five overpasses built along the Red Line corridor — is now open to traffic.  

“Today, I formally commissioned this infrastructure, which I believe will bring a new commuting experience to the community. 

“With this new overpass, we’ve made it much safer by keeping pedestrians and vehicles away from the train tracks, which will help prevent accidents. It also opens up new routes to Agege Motor Road, Post Office Road, and Ogunmokun, making travel easier and boosting the local economy. 

“I’m also happy to share that the primary school that was demolished in the right-of-way for the overpass has been rebuilt nearby. 

“I encourage everyone to take care of this infrastructure and to help protect it from any intentional damage,” Governor Sanwo-Olu’s post read.  

The commissioning of the Mushin Flyover follows the earlier openings of the Agege Pen Cinema Flyover, Oyingbo Flyover, Yaba Flyover, and Ikeja Flyover, marking the completion of key infrastructure in preparation for passenger operations on the metro line, expected to commence by the fourth quarter of the year. 

 What you should know 

The Lagos Red Line, a 37-kilometer metro rail project, saw its first phase—spanning 27 kilometers from Agbado in Ogun State to Oyingbo in Lagos—commissioned by President Bola Tinubu on February 29, 2024, following construction that began in April 2021. This phase includes eight key stations: Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, and Oyingbo.  

The Lagos State Government acquired trains for the Red Line from the United States, with additional rolling stock procured from the United Kingdom in 2023 and China in 2024.  

The Red Line is expected to initially carry 250,000 passengers daily, with this number projected to rise to 750,000 once fully operational.  

In preparation for passenger service by Q4 2024, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) began trial runs using British Rail Class 43 HST trains, which feature flexible seating for up to 150 passengers per coach, including standing room. 

These trains, configurable with five or six carriages, are capable of exceeding 120 kilometers per hour, though operational speeds are regulated to 50 mph by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).  

The Red Line is anticipated to significantly reduce travel time between Agbado and Oyingbo to just 55 minutes, down from nearly three hours.


Source: TheTimes.com.ng.