Lagos Terminus, also known as ''Lagos Iddo'', has been the main railway station of the city of

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

until 2021. The

rail terminus A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a Rail transport, railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passenger train, passengers, freight rail transport, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one railwa ...

is located on

Iddo Island Iddo Island is a district in Lagos Mainland LGA of Lagos. Opposite Lagos Island, Iddo used to be an island, but due to land reclamation, is now part of the rest of Lagos Mainland. Iddo Island is connected to Lagos Island by the Eko Bridge and ...

, nearby

Lagos Island Lagos Island () is the principal and central Local government areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos, Nigeria. It was the capital of Lagos State until 1957. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian ce ...

, near the Lagos mainland. The station is a key part of the Nigeria railway Corporation's (NRC) network, handling both passenger and freight services.

Overview

The station, located in front of

Carter Bridge Carter Bridge built in 1901 is one of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the other are the Third Mainland and Eko bridges. At the time of its construction, this was the only bridge connection between the mainland and Lagos I ...

and by the

Lagos Lagoon Lagos Lagoon (Yoruba language, Yoruba: Ọ̀sà) is a lagoon found in the city of Lagos, southwest Nigeria, the most populous city in Africa. The name ''Lagos'' means 'lakes' in Portuguese language, Portuguese, therefore ''Lagos Lagoon'' is an ex ...

, has a large two floor terminal building. It counts also a pair of

train shed A train shed is a building adjacent to a station building where the tracks and platforms of a railway station are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof. Its primary purpose is to store and protect from the elements train car ...

s: one located just outside the station platforms and a larger one located 2 km north, nearby Lagos Yaba station. The line serving Lagos Terminus, as well as the entire national network, is not electrified; and the

track gauge In rail transport, track gauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have Wheelset (rail transport), wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges ...

is narrow ( 1,067 mm). See map

Services

Lagos station is the terminus of commuter and long distance trains, as for example the flagship express train to

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...

, in north of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and 1,126 km (700 miles) far from Lagos. A

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

high-speed line This article provides a list of operational and under construction high-speed rail networks, listed by country or region. While the International Union of Railways defines high-speed rail as public transport by rail at speeds of at least for u ...

, connecting Lagos to

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

, has been planned in early 2010s, as part of the development plan of the Nigerian railways. Lagos Terminus will be served by two lines (red and blue) of the future

Lagos Metro Lagos Rail Mass Transit is a rapid transit system in Lagos State. The rail system is managed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority ( LAMATA). The railway equipment including electric power, signals, rolling stock, and fare collectio ...

, under construction, at Iddo metro station.

Historical Background

The origins of Lagos Terminus dates back to the colonial era when railway development was a priority for enhancing trade and movement across British-controlled territories. The station was a central point in Nigeria's first railway line, which started in Lagos in 1898 and later extended to northern regions.

Facilities

Ticketing and waiting areas Platforms and Tracks Freight Handling areas Administrative offices

Rail routes and services

Lagos terminus is the starting point for several important rail routes, including: Lagos-Ibadan railway: a railway connecting Lagos with Ibadan. Lagos-Kano railway: this railway connects the southwest to the northern region in Nigeria, and its one of the longest railway routes in Nigeria. Commuter rail services: this is for short-distance routes catering to daily travellers within Lagos and its surrounding areas.

References

External links

{{Lagos, state=collapsed Lagos Mainland Lagos Terminus Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority