Lagos to commence $3 billion Green Line project linking Marina to Lekki by December

The Lagos State Government has announced that construction of the $3 billion Green Line rail project, connecting Marina to the Lekki corridor, is scheduled to begin in December 2025.

The announcement was made by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, in a statement posted on the official X account of the Lagos State Government on Monday.

Osiyemi noted that extensive feasibility studies and stakeholder consultations have been carried out along the Lekki-Epe corridor in preparation for the project.

The rail project is expected to take two to three years to complete and will be implemented in phases. The first phase will cover the stretch from Lekki First Tollgate to Epe, while the second phase, starting from Marina, will feature an on-water segment.

“The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Seun Osiyemi remarked that the government had done a lot of stakeholder engagements as well as a lot of feasibility studies along the Lekki-Epe Expressway Corridor because the Green Line project will commence in December.  

“He explained that the Green Line project would take about two to three years and would begin from Marina all the way to Epe, saying the projects would come in phases, with the first phase from Lekki First Tollgate to Epe and the second Phase from Marina would be on the water,” the statement read in part. 

The announcement follows intensified enforcement along the Lekki-Epe Expressway, where authorities have cleared encroachments and restored wetlands essential to the Green Line’s right-of-way.

What you should know 

The 70-kilometre Green Line will run from Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone, featuring 17 stations along a mix of elevated and at-grade tracks. The line begins at Marina, passes through Victoria Island, joins the Lekki-Epe Expressway, and continues through Ajah, Sangotedo, and Lekki Free Zone.

• Stations will have modern designs with pedestrian bridges, elevators, escalators, and a depot near Sangotedo, alongside a 15-hectare parking facility at the Lekki Free Zone. Trains will operate in eight-car B-type sets, reaching speeds up to 100 km/h and a minimum headway of three minutes, with a projected capacity of 35,000 passengers per hour per direction.

• The project is estimated at $3 billion, with partial federal counterpart funding of N146.14 billion included in the 2025 budget and a tripartite agreement signed with China Harbour Engineering Company to design, finance, and operate the line.

Experts have raised concerns over station spacing and operational capacity. Sparse coverage in Victoria Island and wide gaps along Lekki could limit ridership, while eight-car trains may be insufficient for long-term demand. Adding stations in high-traffic zones and aligning operations with existing lines were suggested to enhance accessibility and efficiency. (Nairametrics)