The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) says the first phase of the blue line rail project’s infrastructure is complete and ready for use.
The first phase of the Lagos blue line rail system is designed to run from Mile 2 (on the mainland) to Marina (on the island), Kolawole Ojelabi, spokesperson for LAMATA, said in a statement.
“The first phase is a 13-kilometer stretch from Marina to Mile 2 and has five stations at Mile 2, Suru-Alaba, Orile Iganmu, National Theatre and Marina. It is expected to move about 200,000 passengers daily.” Ojelabi said.
Ojelabi said the completion of the infrastructure was in fulfillment of the promise made by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State governor.
He said Sanwo-Olu had promised that the project would be completed in the last quarter of 2022 ahead of the commencement of passenger operations in the first quarter of 2023.
Ojelabi also noted that the blue line project was one of the six rail lines and monorails prescribed for Lagos in the state’s strategic transport master plan (STMP), adding that the construction had been divided into phases for ease of implementation and is expected to move more than 500,000 passengers when the entire line is completed.
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Abimbola Akinajo at the Lagos transport fest held last month noted that with the small space and large population in the state, it requires a lot of creativity on mobility from a futuristic perspective.
“With LAMATA, there is a planning instrument for Lagos, a strategic master plan currently is planning up to 2032, this year will extend to 2040, looking at what has happened, the currents state and how the state relates with other neighboring states and upgrading the strategic master plan to provide the space and direction for the state in the next few years to come,” said Akinajo.
She added that in the strategic master plan, Lagos state is in the process of building 6 rail lines, of which two have been implemented; the 27-kilometer Blue rail traverses between Mile 2 and Marina, would be operated on Electric Motor Unit (EMU); while the 37-kilometer Red Line, from Agbado to Ebute Metta, would operate on Automotive Gas Oil (AGO). She noted that the Blue Line will be passenger operational by the end of the first quarter of 2023. It will have a station in Mile2, Alaba, National theater and Marina.
Akinajo had earlier noted that, “the blue line starting from Mile2-Marina, infrastructure will be ready by the end of the year, passenger operation will be ready by the end of the first quarter of 2023, and successfully when it starts, it expects to move nothing less than 200,000 people and over the years, nothing less than 500,000 passengers a day.”
“Red line, the first phase will be from Agbado to Oyingbo, and this is sticking to the metropolitan Lagos, the station will come early next year, the structure will be laid down early 2023 and by the end of the first quarter of 2023 to the beginning of second quarter 2023, it will be fully passenger ready” Akinajo added.
The other rail lines are the Green line from Lekki free trade zone -Marina, the Purple line from Mowe-Lasu, connecting the blue line, the Yellow line, from National theater-Ota and the Orange line from Ikorodu-Ikeja.
She added that a Monorail is also part of the masterplan, a rail that will connect all other busy cities, from Marina-Victoria-Island- Ahmadu Bello way, comes to Lekki-Ikoyi, and back to Marina.
“A circle line, but it allows you to move around the business district of Lagos without your cars,” she said.
