LAGOS, Nigeria — The Lagos commuter rail service using Talgo trainsets built for but never used by the state of Wisconsin has resumed operation.
Operations on the 27-kilometer (16.7-mile) Red Line Mass Transit service were suspended indefinitely on Dec. 4, after mechanical issues on Dec. 2-3 [see “Nigerian commuter operation … is halted,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 9, 2024]. But the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, or LAMATA, said last week on Facebook that it was resuming operations “following the overhaul of the operational procedure” of the line. The agency said service had been halted “to review the Red Line operational mode in order to improve service delivery to stakeholders.”
The Red Line began operation in October using the two Series 8 Talgo trainsets ordered in 2009 and intended for an extension of Amtrak Hiawatha service. When that project was killed, the equipment was stored until being sold to Nigeria in 2022. Igbere TV says the service has cut travel time between the endpoints of Agbado and Oyingbo from almost three hours to 55 minutes.
