Megapolis with world’s worst traffic gets train metro after 12-year wait

Lagos, Nigeria's congested commercial hub, inaugurated its inaugural light-rail system on Monday, marking a significant milestone after 12 years of planning and development.

Construction of the 13-kilometer (8-mile) line commenced in 2009, with an initial service launch expected in 2011. However, funding challenges for the 100 billion naira ($132 million) project resulted in delays.

The line, constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corp., was officially opened by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday and is projected to accommodate 150,000 daily passengers, as reported by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.

Lagos, a city of 20 million inhabitants, grapples with some of the world's worst traffic congestion, according to Numbeo, a crowd-sourced online database. While the new "blue line" rail system is expected to alleviate some of these issues, Sanwo-Olu emphasized in 2021 that the city, which draws Nigerians from all over the country, requires $15 billion over five years to enhance its road and transportation infrastructure.

During the inauguration event, Governor Sanwo-Olu, dressed in a train operator's uniform, personally engaged with passengers, announcing station names and addressing the crowd.

When fully operational, the train will accommodate up to 1,200 passengers per trip and significantly reduce travel time from Mile 2 near Tin Can Island (the country's busiest seaport) to Marina on Lagos Island, reducing it from potentially 3 hours to just 25 minutes.

“A mega city cannot function without an effective metro line,” said Adetilewa Adebajo, chief executive of Lagos-based CFG Advisory. “However, Lagos needs not just the metro line. It has to develop waterways too, being a coastal city. It needs an integrated transport system. Those are what will be able to relieve the congestions in the city.”

At present, the government grapples with an annual expenditure of approximately 4 trillion naira due to traffic gridlock, resulting in lost work-hours as commuters collectively spend 14.1 million hours daily stuck in traffic, as indicated by a 2021 report from Lagos-based Danne Institute of Research.

Governor Sanwo-Olu initially commissioned the blue line in December; however, operational commencement was delayed because the necessary facility to power the tracks was not ready. For the interim, the metro will utilize a diesel locomotive for four weeks until the power plant can be connected to the tracks.

Nigeria faces similar inefficiencies in its transportation infrastructure. For instance, in 2018, the government inaugurated a train linking the capital city, Abuja, with its airport. Five years later, train cars remain unused in a depot, while the country continues to service the project's $500 million loans from the Export-Import Bank of China, amounting to $50 million annually.

Lagos has previously experimented with other mass transit solutions, such as the World Bank-funded bus rapid transit system (BRT-lite) introduced in 2008. While approximately 4 million people have obtained the required cards for BRT, the system struggles to meet the demands of the city's growing population.

The blue line will initially operate 12 trips per day for two weeks, eventually increasing to 76 trips daily, serving an expected 150,000 passengers daily, according to the state administration. The second phase, which extends the network from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko and is en route to Badagry at the state's border with neighboring Benin, is currently under construction, bringing the total track length to 27.5 kilometers.

Additionally, Lagos plans to complete another 37 kilometers of rail by the end of the year, connecting the eastern and western parts of the city to further alleviate traffic. This line, referred to as the "red line," is reported to be 95% complete.

Lagos, home to major companies like Dangote Cement Plc, Unilever Plc, and Heineken NV, experiences a population density of 13,800 residents per square kilometer, significantly higher than cities like Johannesburg (3,100) and Dar es Salaam (6,900).

The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Livability index for 2023 ranked Lagos among the least livable cities out of 173 evaluated.

In June, President Bola Tinubu lifted price caps on gasoline and allowed the naira to depreciate, leading to significant increases in prices for various commodities, from transportation to food. As a result, many Lagos residents had to curtail their use of private vehicles.

Transportation expenses absorb the largest proportion of household budgets among major African cities, according to the World Bank.

To provide some relief to residents, the metro service will offer passengers half the recommended fare of 750 naira ($0.97) per trip, with the government subsidizing part of the cost to mitigate the impact of rising living costs, according to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority. If the train operates at full capacity, this subsidy could cost the government 1.7 billion naira monthly, based on Bloomberg's estimation.

“This will bring a huge relief to Lagos in terms of commuting from one point to another point,” said Frank Momoh, a businessman, who was on the metro on Monday. “I will drop my car for the train ride because it is faster and it is more convenient.”