Lagos State is expanding its Red Line rail service with the addition of 24 coaches, as the state government moves to increase passenger capacity and improve public transportation across the city.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced the development on Wednesday through his X account, saying the three new train sets were expected to commence passenger operations before the end of 2026.
The additional coaches are expected to strengthen services along the Oyingbo-Agbado corridor, which connects communities in the northern part of Lagos with major commercial areas.
New Train Sets to Carry More Commuters
According to Sanwo-Olu, each of the three train sets comprises eight coaches and can accommodate up to 2,000 passengers per trip.
The governor said the state had commenced the offloading of the new trains, describing the development as a major step towards increasing capacity and creating opportunities for more frequent services.
“We have commenced the offloading of three new train sets, comprising 24 coaches, for the Red Line,” he said.
“Each eight-coach train can carry up to 2,000 passengers per trip. This means more capacity, more room for commuters and the opportunity to run more frequent services along the Oyingbo-Agbado corridor.”
He added that the trains were procured with support from the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu.
However, the governor did not provide a specific date for the commencement of passenger operations or disclose how many additional daily trips the new trains would support.
Lagos Plans Further Blue Line Expansion
The Red Line expansion comes as Lagos State continues to develop other parts of its urban rail network.
Last month, the Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo, announced that three additional stations on the Blue Line were scheduled to open by the end of February 2027.
The planned stations — FESTAC, Alakija and Trade Fair — will extend the existing route beyond its five operational stops at Marina, National Theatre, Iganmu, Alaba and Mile 2.
The expansion will bring the total number of Blue Line stations to eight, extending rail access to residents along the FESTAC-Alakija-Trade Fair corridor.
Speaking at the 2026 media parley organised by the state Ministry of Transportation, Akinajo also disclosed that four Quality Bus Corridors were nearing completion, while construction work was progressing on interchange hubs at Marina and Mile 2.
Rail Expansion Aims to Improve Lagos Commuting
The additional Red Line trains and planned Blue Line stations form part of Lagos State’s broader efforts to expand mass transit infrastructure and reduce pressure on the city’s road network.
However, the effectiveness of the expansion will depend on the timely deployment of the new trains, reliable service frequency and the completion of supporting transport infrastructure.
For commuters, the key measure of progress will be whether the additional capacity translates into shorter waiting times, less congestion and more reliable journeys across Lagos.
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