Signaling the commencement of operation of the 13 km Phase One of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (Blue Line), the Lagos State governor, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has confirmed that the light rail is actually pro-people.
Reiterating that the Lagos light rail is an important component of its Integrated Transportation Master Plan, Sanwo-Olu emphasized that the project is people-focused as it would reduce travel time, improve the quality of life of the people, and boost the state’s economy.
He also revealed that the phase one of the Blue line has five stations – Marina, National Theatre (Iganmu), Alaba, Orile and Mile 2 Stations, which cuts the trip between Marina to Mile 2 to less than 15 minutes, what hitherto was done in two hours.
Giving the features of the new train system, Sanwo-Olu said the Blue line would be powered by end-to-end “high voltage electricity to be supplied by a dedicated independent power plant as a back up system which means the operation of the system would have zero carbon emission impact on the environment.
Recall that the during the inauguration, which took place in January had President Muhammadu Buhari ride the train from the Marina Station to National Theatre Station. Buhari was also on ground to witness the contract signing of the second phase between the State Government and Messrs China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC), the contractor which handled the project.
The inauguration came a month after the project was test-run by the government following the completion of the civil work.
The first phase of the project, executed by the State Government, spans 13 kilometers, and has five stations – Mile 2, Suru-Alaba, Orile Iganmu, National Theatre and Marina.
The second phase would extend the track from Mile-2 to Okokomaiko.
