Lagos Rail Mass Transit’s Marina-Mile-2 blue line is now operational

As part of efforts to reduce traffic on the state’s roads, Lagos State Governor Bababjide Sanwo-Olu has officially opened the first phase of the state’s LMRT Blue Line operations, which will operate between Marina and Mile 2.

The management of LAMATA, the Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, is in charge of the project.

The infrastructure was finished in accordance with Sanwo-Promise Olu’s promise to finish the project in the last quarter of 2022, ahead of the start of passenger operations, which is scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.

The Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line (STMP) is one of the six rail lines and monorails suggested for Lagos in the state’s Strategic Transport Master Plan.

The 27-kilometer-long LRMT Blue Line runs along rails from Marina to Okokomaiko. When the line is finished, construction will have been divided into manageable phases and should move more than 500,000 passengers.

Remember that Sanwo-Olu pledged to finish the LRMT Blue Line’s first phase’s infrastructure and put it into passenger service during the campaign time for the position, prior to the 2019 governor’s election.

Mile 2, Suru-Alaba, Orile Iganmu, the National Theatre, and Marina are the five stops along the first phase’s 13-kilometer route from Marina to Mile 2. An estimated 200,000 travelers per day are anticipated.

The electricity would come from a separate power plant that would be built specifically to power the rail system.

During the event at the National Art Theatre, Igamu, Apapa, and Sanwo-Olu said, “We think that this part of the train project will move at least 250,000 people every day, and when the whole line is done, it will move more than 500,000 people.”

Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, members of the state executive council, business executives, and stakeholders were among those who attended the governor.

The fourth republic began in 1999, the year Asiwaju Bola Tinubu became governor, and Sanwo-Olu stated, “This milestone in the construction of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit is the conclusion of several significant improvements in the transport ecosystem of Lagos State.”

“The Traffic Management and Transportation pillar of our T.H.E.M.E.S. agenda articulates our vision for an integrated transport system.” Our multimodal transportation plan combines the many components of land, rail, and water travel while ensuring their smooth integration.

In addition, Marina serves as a hub for all of the transit modes in our integrated multimodal transport system. I’m happy to say that Marina will be turned into an integrated transportation hub (AFD) with the help of the French Development Agency.

“I’m glad to let you know that the three train sets needed for the Blue Line’s commercial passenger operations are already on the ground.

“I also want to record the contribution made by the Central Bank of Nigeria” (CBN). Fidelity, Sterling, and Access banks were able to combine their financial resources to provide credit financing for the completion of this first section of the Blue Line because of the CBN’s Differentiated Cash Reserve Requirement (DCRR). I appreciate the three banks’ top management for having faith in us.

“To all of you, the good people of Lagos, I would like to express my gratitude for your patience and for bearing with us despite all the difficulties that the Light Rail network’s installation threw our way.

“This project belongs to you; please take care to protect it. Remember that this rail system is electrically powered and cannot be trespassed in any way.There is no longer a choice to cross the lines, and vandalism in any form shouldn’t even be a concern. You can move from one side to the other by using the available pedestrian bridges.

In order to get the line ready for commercial passenger operations in the first quarter of 2023, we will now start testing it.

The completion of the infrastructure for the first phase of the LRMT Blue Line is a testament to the significance of public transportation to Governor Sanwo-Themes Olu’s program, as LAMATA’s managing director, Engr. Abimbola Akinajo, emphasized earlier.

“The significant completion of civil infrastructure for the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit, or LRMT, is a manifestation of Governor Sanwo-Olu and his team’s bold thinking and bravery in the state Executive Council.”

She says that the Blue Line is one of the six rail lines in the Lagos State Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP), which was made by Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos and presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress, or APC.

“Given the numerous obstacles we had to overcome, building the Blue Line has been one of the most difficult projects the state has ever undertaken,” she continued. Submarine cables, natural gas pipelines, and the clearance of shipwrecks underwater have all experienced delays and disruptions before we reached this point.

“Building in the lagoon is quite challenging due to the unique subaquatic geological conditions. The COVID-19 outbreak, the lengthy transit cycle of imported equipment and materials, and a number of barge collisions with the trestle supporting our construction activities all caused delays in the timely completion of the rail project.

“However, the plot has changed today. Today, Mr. Governor and other prominent visitors will board this train for the first time using the Cowry Card, the unified electronic payment system that we use to control access to our buses and ferries.