Buhari commissions first phase of Lagos State Blue rail

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday commissioned the 13- kilometre metro line first phase of the Lagos Blue Rail Line (Marina-Mile 2), an elevated train network expected to ease traffic in the often gridlocked Lagos metropolis.

Penpushing reports that the train network was proposed in 1983 during the Second Republic administration of Governor Lateef Jakande but the construction was only flagged off 20 years later in 2003, with the construction undertaken by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company, a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation.

The President who was on a two-day visit to Lagos State was accompanied to the event at Marina Train Station, in the Outer Marina area of the state, by the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his Ogun State counterpart, Prince Dapo Abiodun, Minister of information, Lai Muhammed; the Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun and many other dignitaries.

Penpushing further reports that the Blue Line is expected to be 27 kilometre long, connecting Okokomaiko to Marina, and the government explained that the train in its first phase will transport 250,000 passengers daily and when completed, the entire 27km will transport about 500,000 passengers daily.

The first phase (Marina -Mile 2) has five stations -The Marina Iconic station, National Theatre, Iganmu, Alaba and Orile stations, and once it becomes operational, riders will be able to use the state government’s cowry card to access the train.

Penpushing also reports that, Sanwo-Olu  at the ceremony signed a document to kickstart the second phase of the Blue rail project (Mile 2 Okokomaiko), and thereafter the president, alongside the dignitaries and journalists, took a tour on the train, moving from the Marina station to the National Theatre and back.

The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos Metropolitan Transport Agency (LAMATA), Kolawole Ojelabi, told journalists that the train is still under trial and would kickstart in late March or first week of April, adding that the fare has not been decided and was also silence on the cost of the project

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