Lagos to begin construction of $3 Billion Green Line Urban Rail Project in December 2025

Lagos, Nigeria (Metro Rail Today): The Lagos State Government has announced that construction of the long-awaited $3 billion Green Line Rail Project, connecting Marina to the Lekki corridor, will commence in December 2025. The announcement was made by Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, via an official statement shared on the state government’s X (formerly Twitter) account.

According to Osiyemi, the government has completed extensive feasibility studies and stakeholder consultations along the Lekki–Epe corridor to ensure the project’s viability.

“The government has engaged extensively with stakeholders and carried out thorough feasibility studies along the Lekki-Epe Expressway Corridor to ensure the Green Line project’s success,” said Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Commissioner for Transportation, Lagos State.

Phased Implementation and Technical Details

The 70-kilometre Green Line will be developed in two phases.

• Phase 1: From Lekki First Tollgate to Epe.

• Phase 2: An on-water segment starting from Marina, extending through Victoria Island, Ajah, Sangotedo, and reaching the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

The rail system will feature 17 stations and include a depot near Sangotedo and a large parking facility at Lekki Free Zone. Each station will be equipped with pedestrian bridges, elevators, escalators, and modern commuter amenities.

Trains will operate in eight-car B-type sets, capable of running at speeds up to 100 km/h, with a minimum headway of three minutes. The system is designed to handle 35,000 passengers per hour per direction, significantly easing congestion along the Lekki–Epe Expressway—one of Lagos’s busiest transport corridors.

Funding and Partnerships

The Green Line project will be developed under a tripartite agreement involving the Lagos State Government, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), which will oversee design, financing, and operations.

The federal counterpart funding of ₦146.14 billion has been earmarked under Nigeria’s 2025 national budget, with additional financing to be sourced through public-private partnerships (PPP) and external investors.

This initiative forms part of Lagos State’s broader vision to deliver an integrated multimodal transport system that combines rail, road, and water transport. Prior to construction, the government initiated intensified enforcement along the Lekki-Epe Expressway to clear encroachments and restore wetlands, ensuring an uninterrupted right-of-way for the Green Line.

Urban planners, however, have advised the government to revisit station spacing, particularly in high-density areas like Victoria Island and Lekki, to enhance ridership and accessibility.

Commenting on the project, Mrs. Mamta Shah, MD & CEO of Urban Infra Group, said:

“The Lagos Green Line represents a defining moment in Africa’s transit evolution — combining global engineering expertise with urban foresight. Once completed, this project will not only redefine mobility along the Lekki corridor but also position Lagos as a model for sustainable and tech-driven transport infrastructure in emerging megacities.”

The Green Line project complements ongoing efforts such as the Blue Line and Red Line metro corridors, advancing Lagos’s ambition to build a world-class, integrated public transport network. Once operational, the new corridor is expected to drastically reduce travel time, cut carbon emissions, and support economic growth along Nigeria’s most vital urban development zone.