By DAMILARE ADELEYE
Governor Bababjide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has, on Monday, officially opened the blue line rail for commercial operations.
This is as the governor and Obafemi Hamzat, his deputy, took the ride in the maiden commercial passenger operation on the blue light rail from CMS terminal to Mile2.
The train was boarded at exactly 9:10 am for a ride to Mile 2 station.
The passengers who rode along with the governor described the first experience as exciting.
It was learnt that from Tuesday, partial passenger operations will start from 6:30 am to 10 am (Morning peak) the afternoon Peak, from 4 pm to 9:30 pm.
These operations will start with 12 trips for two weeks which will be ramped up to 76 trips per day.
The long-awaited Blue Line Rail project is being constructed by the Lagos State Government and supervised by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) as part of the state’s development and improved intermodal transport system.
The rail system is expected to bring a lot of relief to the teeming Lagos populace, particularly as palliative with the prevailing economic situation brought about by the Federal Government fuel subsidy removal which led to an increase in pump price to an all-time high N600 and above per litre.
It was learnt that the rail line was started by the former administration of Babatunde Fashola more than 12 years ago. But the first phase – 13km (Marina to Mile 2) on the Lagos-Badagry corridor is being completed by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
According to Abimbola Akinajo, Managing Director of LAMATA, for the first month, the train would run only 12 trips with the locomotive system.
She noted that the reason is that there are few finishings to be done but soon to go electric.
She added that LAMATA will begin the electric-powered train operation with 76 trips.
An estimated passenger capacity between 150,000 and 175,000 are expected to take rides from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
The time schedule of the train is available at each terminal and also at the official site of LAMATA.
Abimbola noted that each terminal’s train will have a maximum stop time of 90 seconds, maintaining a strict schedule.
The Blue Line project is a 27-kilometre rail route designed to run from Okokomaiko eastwards to Mile 2 and then proceed to Marina via Ijora.
The five stations have been completed, with 13km of the rail tracks laid in the first phase. Phase 1 of the Blue Line is 13 km long with five stations: Marina-National Theatre- Orile-Suru-Alaba-Mile 2, while Phase 2 will extend the line to 27km.