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The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has formally granted a permanent operating licence to the Lagos State Government, ending a 128-year federal monopoly over the country’s rail transport sector.
Delivered through the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), the licence officially authorises the state to run independent rail services on a shared corridor under a formal Track Sharing Agreement and empowers Lagos to develop future transit networks.
NRC Managing Director Dr Kayode Opeifa celebrated the handover as a watershed moment that shifts Nigeria from a rigid monopoly into a collaborative, regulated rail industry.
He noted that the NRC had closely monitored the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Red Line under a temporary licence since the line began passenger operations in October 2024.
After LAMATA successfully passed rigorous operational and safety evaluations, the corporation upgraded the state to a permanent status.
LAMATA Managing Director Mrs Abimbola Akinajo praised the exhaustive certification process and revealed aggressive expansion plans for the city’s transit network.
Backed by the new permanent authority and upcoming rolling stock deliveries, LAMATA expects to scale the Red Line up to 24 daily services by the fourth quarter of 2026, utilising new trains that can carry 2,000 passengers per trip to drastically ease peak-hour road congestion.
