The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has certified the Lagos State Rail systems and granted operational licenses for the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue and Red Lines.
The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) disclosed this in a statement on Saturday morning, adding that a significant milestone in Nigerian railway transportation has been recorded by the Lagos State Government.
The operational licences for the Blue and Red Lines were received by the Managing Director of LAMATA, Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo on behalf of the Lagos State Government.
“The NRC granted a three-year operational license for the Blue Line and a temporary six-month license for the Red Line,” the statement read.
LAMATA said the licences were issued following close to three years of successful assessment period of the infrastructure and operation of the Blue Line and testing of the pre-operational capacity of the Red Line.
The authority said the temporary license for the Red Line will be converted to a permanent license after further assessment of its full passenger operations.
The Managing Director of the NRC, Fidet Okhiria expressed his appreciation for LAMATA’s efforts to secure the licenses.
Okhiria emphasized the corporation’s desire to see the tracks occupied and voiced confidence in LAMATA’s success.
He also stated that this was the first time the corporation had permitted another entity to operate trains in Nigeria.
LAMATA MD, Akinajo after receiving the licenses commended the NRC team for their professionalism and intellectual engagement throughout the process.
The management and members of staff from the NRC and LAMATA as well as other key figures in the transportation sector attended the event.
According to the statement, the issuance of these licenses marks a significant step forward in developing Lagos’ rail transportation system and signifies a positive collaboration between LAMATA and the NRC.
