January 19, (THEWILL) – The Lagos State Government has reached a major deal with Milwaukee manufacturing plant,Talgo, for the purchase of two train sets for the Red Line Metro project in the State.
THEWILL gathered that the State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu arrived Wisconsin earlier in the week to finalise the deal.
He was accompanied by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde; Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye and Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, Engr. Abimbola Akinajo.
The train sets, originally built for the state of Wisconsin by a Spanish company, Talgo, were manufactured in 2011 at its Plant at 27th and Townsend in Milwaukee’s Century City business park
Former governor Jim Doyle had in 2009 announced that the state would buy the two Talgo trains to use for the high-speed rail to connect Madison and Milwaukee. But when former Gov. Scott Walker took office, he blocked the deal for the Milwaukee project.
Confirming the latest deal with the Lagos State Government, CEO and president of Talgo USA, Antonio Perez, said, “For us, it’s important that our trains are utilised. It doesn’t do any good for the trains that we built in Wisconsin to be stored or to be kept without passengers riding them.”
Also, Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson at a news conference on Tuesday, said, “We’re proud of the products that are produced here, proud of the Milwaukee workers who are employed here, and we’re very proud of the trains that are here in this facility, as well. When they arrive in service in Lagos, I hope that you’ll think about Milwaukee.”
“While I’m happy about (the deal) today, I am a little disappointed in a sense that these trains are not in service in our state. I think that our previous governor unfortunately made a mistake in turning these trains away,”
“They’ll actually be in service – serving people and providing a new transit option in another community. One state’s loss is another state’s gain”, Johnson said, referring to Lagos.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said he “hopes the deal is the “beginning of a mutually beneficial business relationship. It’s all about providing jobs, jobs, jobs for our people and that’s what we’re doing. It’s about ensuring that we can build our economy. It’s that our people can move from one location to another.”
Sanwo-Olu, who inspected the newly acquired Talgo 330kmph speed train, said, “The 37 kilometres Red Line on completion will traverse eight stations and move passengers from Agbado to Oyingbo.”
Speaking at the event, Sanwo-Olu, expressed gladness at the eventual purchase of the two brand new trains.
According to the governor, “We are in Milwaukee to see things for ourselves in respect of the purchase of the trains. We have inspected the trains, seen their configuration and are satisfied that they fit into the tracks of the Redline in Lagos.
“A train is not something you can just go on the shelf and pick up. We are very lucky to get brand new trains. We have seen our beautiful white and red trains. Coincidentally, the rail line is called the Red Line and you can see they have given us the colour. We are just going to brand it and put up our seal there.
“We hope that this (purchase of the trains) will be the beginning of a mutually beneficial business relationship. Providing a source of livelihood for our citizens is all about providing jobs for our people and that is what we are doing. It is about ensuring that we can build our economy; people can move from one location to another and businesses can grow.
“Part of what we have done in the last two and half years is to have what we call Integrated Urban Mass transportation system, where we will be using road infrastructure, waterway infrastructure and rail infrastructure so that we can move over 20 million Lagosians within and around the city”, he said.
The trains which will soon arrive in Lagos, Nigeria for the Red Line, a 37 km track rail project started by Sanwo-Olu, in line with his administration’s commitment to Traffic Management and Transportation of THEMES developmental agenda.
The red line, which will have 11 stations when completed, will be the first operational metro system in West Africa, designed to convey at least 500,000 passengers daily in the first phase of operation.
Operation of the first phase of the Red Line by the Lagos State Government is expected to begin by the last quarter of 2022 with a capacity of 500,000 passengers daily.
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