Sanwo-Olu inaugurates first phase of Blue Rail Mass Transit to signal Greater Lagos Rising
By Felicia Nwosu
In line with his vision for a Greater Lagos Rising and as part of the megacity agenda, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, has inaugurated the completion of the infrastructural achievement on the first phase of the Lagos Blue Rail Mass Transit (LRMT).
It was a new dawn and historic moment when the governor, together with his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, members of the state cabinet, and members of the public took the first trip aboard the electric-powered rail infrastructure for the 10 minutes ride from the National Theatre Station to the iconic station in Marina.
After almost two decades, Mr. Sanwo-Olu has ensured that this milestone blueprint come to fruition in the development of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit, which is the culmination of several impactful reforms in the transport sector of Lagos which kicked off since 1999. The construction started in 2010 under the administration of former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola. It experienced some delays in the succeeding administration, before the current government continued from 2019.
Today, the completed tracks, spanning 13 kilometres in the first phase, extend from Mile 2 to Marina, covering five stations. He affirmed that after the inauguration, operations would not commence until the project undergoes necessary test-running and proper security measures were put in place along the rail corridor.
The centre of excellence’s first man revealed that the construction of the second phase of the Blue Line rail project, which covers 14-kilometre from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko, would be launched immediately after the completion and inauguration of the first phase next month. While proudly describing the moment as “historic,” he noted that this has elevated the state to become the first sub-national government in Africa to fund and deliver a rail system from the state’s balance sheet.
The people’s governor while sharing this on his twitter handle, said: “Enjoying the aquatic splendour of Lagos while riding on the Blue Line which will convey 200,000 passengers daily, making Lagos one of the world’s cities with a functional mass transit system is something every Lagos resident should be proud of.
Mr. Governor pointed out that he was glad that the project was achieved within the proposed period by keeping to the December 2022 deadline, adding that the rail infrastructure will be commissioned in January by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The road to the completion of this project, no doubt, has had an interesting story of delays, which were not due to a lack of enthusiasm or commitment on the part of the state government. Now, we have put the challenges behind us; from now on, we will focus on the benefits of this project for our people,” he said.
Mr. Sanwo-Olu did not fail to commend and acknowledge the contributions and enduring legacies laid by his predecessors.
The completed rail infrastructure has the capacity to move 250,000 passengers daily. While the second phase when completed, would take 500,000 people daily as an attestation and actualisation of the governor’s administration’s vision for an integrated transport system, as enunciated in the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda.
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