The Lagos State Government has announced that the 68-kilometre Green Line rail project, running from Marina to Lekki Free Zone, will be implemented in full, rather than in phases.
This disclosure was made by Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, during a scoping workshop on Wednesday.
The workshop marked the commencement of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Resettlement Policy Framework processes for the rail line.
The announcement was shared in a post on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).
At the workshop, LAMATA highlighted the key components of the ESIA process before unveiling the 68km route alignment for the Green Line rail, although the specific details of the alignment were not included in the statement.
“The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) today conducted a crucial scoping workshop for the state-backed Green Line rail project and unveiled the 68-kilometer rail route alignment to the public,” the statement read in part.
It added, “The Honorable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, informed that the government planned to complete the entire project rather than in phases.”
This decision marks a deviation from the approach taken with the Lagos Blue Line and Red Line metro projects, which were constructed in phases. For those lines, commercial operations commenced after the completion of their respective Phase 1, while the construction of Phase 2 continued. However, the Green Line will be built in its entirety before it begins operation.
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Dr. Olumide also advised property owners along the corridor to regularize their building approval documents, warning that failure to do so could lead to consequences.
Community stakeholders, traditional leaders, government officials, and development partners were in attendance. Among them was Daniel Soderstrom, Swedfund Advisor on Social and Impact Assessment, who represented the ESIA funders.
- Representatives from affected communities, including Eti-Osa, Awoyaya, Alasia, and Iranla, were also present and voiced their support for the project.
- Engr. Olasunkanmi Okusaga, Technical Adviser for Rail Transport at LAMATA, who represented the Managing Director, Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo, emphasized that the Green Line would provide jobs and reduce traffic congestion. He also assured that affected residents would be duly compensated.
The project’s ESIA consultants, Sectec-Greenstad Consulting Limited, led by Dr. Mariame Mboup Fall, and project contractors China Harbour Engineering Company Limited were also present at the session.
What you should know
The 68km Green Line, linking Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone, is a key part of the Lagos Strategic Transport Master Plan, which envisions six Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines to ease congestion.
- The Lagos State Government recently signed an MoU with the Federal Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) to begin exploratory work. Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Ope George, listed the Green Line among Lagos’ top 2025 infrastructure projects under the N1.052 trillion development budget.
- A Nairametrics review of the 2025 Federal Budget proposal showed N146.14 billion allocated as counterpart funding for the project, managed by MOFI. With the budget increasing from N49.74 trillion to N54.9 trillion, this allocation could rise.
In September 2024, Lagos formalized an agreement with MOFI and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to design, finance, and operate the Green Line, advancing the state’s transport modernization efforts.
