Lagos Blue Line Rail begins operations tomorrow

The Blue Line Rail in Lagos State will start commercial operations on Monday, September 4, 2023, the state government has said. 

The Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr. Abimbola Akinajo disclosed this during a press conference at the iconic Marina Station of the Blue Line Rail in Lagos. 

Akinajo, who took reporters on a guided ride and tour of the physical infrastructure of the Blue Line Rail from the Marina Station to the National Arts Theatre Station in Iganmu, said Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu would take the inaugural ride on the train at 9:00 A.M tomorrow before other passengers began to ride.

According to her, partial passenger operations will start on Tuesday from 6:30 AM to 10:00 AM for the morning peak and the afternoon Peak from 4:00 PM to 9:30 PM.

She added that the operations will start with 12 trips for two weeks— will later be increased to 76 trips per day.

Akinajo maintained that though the train is electric, it would run on locomotive for the first four weeks of operation to allow the electric system to come up fully and sync properly with the physical infrastructure, adding that the plan is to allow passengers to get familiar with the rail system. 

She said despite the train running on locomotives for the first four weeks, the tracks would remain energised so that passengers are not allowed to cross them.   

Akinajo stated that the full length of the train trip from Marina – Mile 2 will cost N750 but the 50 percent discount announced by Governor Sanwo-Olu on all Lagos public transportation rides also applies to the train ride. 

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She said passengers can only access the service with their cowry cards, saying cash or paper tickets would not be accepted. 

Akinajo further warned against eating and drinking on the train, noting that adequate security has been put in place for the security of lives and property. 

“Anyone with criminal intent would be arrested and handed over to the Police as there are about 30 cameras along the tracks,” she added. 

“A full Journey from Marina to Mile 2 will cost N750 and Zonal fares will be between N400 and N500 for people not making the complete full trip. The transportation palliative announced by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will also cover the Train system, meaning that the highest fare for the full trip will be N375.

“We are going to put safety measures in place. There are over 300 CCTV cameras across the whole Blue Line Rail and over 30 cameras monitoring the tracks alone. Command and Control centers are also available in all stations. Plain cloth security agents and officers of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps will ride with passengers at all times. Any altercation on the train will not be tolerated. Vandalism also will not be tolerated.” 

Akinajo said the delay for the commencement of the Blue Line Rail was caused by prevailing circumstances around import and export, letting out that LAMATA is committed to starting operations without any further delay.

The Blue rail line, part of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit, will run 27.5 km from Marina to Okokomaiko, with 13 stations and an end-to-end journey time of 35 minutes. 

The LAMATA boss said about 150,000 passengers are expected to board the train daily.

Recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari on January 24, 2023 commissioned the first phase of the Blue Rail Line, which runs from Marina to Mile 2, as well as witnessed the signing of the commencement of Phase 2 of the project from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko.