The Lagos State Blue Line Rail Mass Transit commenced commercial operation on Monday, September 4, 2023 as promised by the Government, even as the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu took an inaugural ride on the train ,from Marina to Mile-2.
The first phase extends from Marina to Mile 2 , while it is 13 kilometres .It has five stations — Marina, National Theatre, Iganmu, Alaba and Orile station
The train departed Marina Station at 9:13am and arrived at National Theatre 9:21am.
Thereafter, it arrived at Iganmu Station 9:29am, left at 9:30am, got to Alaba Station 9:35am and departed by 9:36am.
The train arrived the Mile 2 Station terminal 9:39am, indicating that the journey took less than 30 minutes from the departure to arrival.Later it proceeded on a return journey and got back to Marina 10:15am.
Arriving back at Marina, Sanwo-Olu said the glory of the successful completion of the Blue Line mass transit train would be accorded to President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, as the governor of Lagos State, President Tinubu’s vision with the creation of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) led to the feat being celebrated.
Sanwo-Olu said: “We have just completed the return journey. We are back in Marina from Mile 2 Station. About 700 of us have just completed the first commercial journey. “We have seen that indeed we can do the very best in our environment. I’m excited with LAMATA and other stakeholders that have done this.
“ We should appreciate the president who started the vision of this great day, the creation of LAMATA in 2004. The masterplan infrastructure, we need to acknowledge him and we believe what he has done in Lagos he should do it for the country.”
He therefore urged residents in the state to get registered so that it could be used alternatively.
The 27kms rail line will transport about 500,000 passengers daily.
The full trip from Marina to Mile 2 will cost N750, while zonal fares — for passengers who are not making a full trip — will be between N400 and N500.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the first phase of the train station in Lagos in January.
The Blue Line Rail Project was proposed in 1983 during the administration of the former Governor of Lagos State, the Late Alhaji Lateef Jakande.
The rail network was flagged off 20 years later, during the administration of Bola Tinubu in 2003.
