Lagos state government to suspend operations of blue rail
The Lagos State Blue metro rail operations will be temporarily suspended on Saturday and Sunday to switch to electricity, and towards the plan to increase the train trips and to ensure the safety of passengers.
Penpushing reports that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made this known on his X handle explaining that the suspension of passenger operations is a global practice to effect major changes, stressing that the goal is also aimed to surpass 150,000 daily passengers between Marina and Mile 2 in the coming months.
‘Here is an important update on our metro line. Starting Monday, October 16, 2023, we’re increasing train trips on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line from 12 to 54, with plans for 74 trips by the end of November’, Sanwo-Olu wrote.
‘To make this transition, we’ll need to shut down train services on Saturday, October 14 after the morning peak service and for the entire day on Sunday, October 15, for the switch to electricity. This momentary pause is to ensure that your safety is our top priority’, he added.
‘This switch to electricity will help us introduce more trips and help us serve more passengers safely. Our goal is to surpass 150,000 daily passengers between Marina and Mile 2 in the coming months,” the Governor said.
Penpushing further reports that Sanwo-Olu disclosed that since the launch of the first phase of the Blue Rail on 4 September, 2023 it has moved over 80,000 passengers through the designated routes with the state
The spokesperson of the Lagos State Transport Agency Kolawole Ojelabi it is recalled during the commissioning of the train system in January., 2023 explained that the train will run on an independent power supply, an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU).
Penpushing also reports that Ojelabi added that the train will use the power known as the Third Rail Electrification System, and will be powered by a public power source, an Independent Power Plant (IPP) and a UPS system.
‘Essence of doing that is for the train to run unhindered. If there is an outage, the UPS kicks in until when the IPP will start up, passengers will not know when this transition takes place. There is an engine that is pulling it, a wagon, so that wagon is being used to test it. The train is currently being pulled by locomotive but that does not mean that the train is running on diesel’, he stated.
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