The Lagos State Government has reached a major deal with Milwaukee manufacturing plant,Talgo, for the purchase of two train sets for its Red Line project.
It was gathered that the State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu will jet out to Wisconsin sometime this week to finalise the deal.
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.”
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.”
“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.
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.
