Governor Babajide Sanwoolu will ride the Lagos Blue Line Rail for the first time at 9 a.m. today, signaling the start of commercial operations for the railway, which is estimated to generate N1.6 trillion in yearly revenue for the state.
Mr Abimbola Akinajo, Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), its operator, stated at a news conference Wednesday in Lagos that approximately 150,000 people are scheduled to board the train daily. “For the time being, the train will run 12 trips in two schedules: 6.30 am to 10 am (morning peak) and 4.30 pm to 9 pm (evening peak). At each station, the train will halt for 90 seconds. When it is completely operational in four weeks, it will run 76 trips from 5.30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
According to Akinajo, the full length of the train ride from Marina to Mile 2 would cost N750, but the governor’s 50 percent discount on other Lagos public transit rides also applies to the train ride. “A full journey from Marina to Mile 2 will cost N750, and Zonal fares will be between N400 and N500 for people who do not make the entire trip,” she said. “The transportation palliative proposed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would also include the Train system, with the highest ticket for the entire trip set at N375.”
She further stated that passengers could only use their Cowry cards to access the service and that cash or paper tickets would not be accepted.
Based on the N375 tariff and 150000 passengers, the calculation estimates that the train will earn around N4.28 billion every day and N1,560,375 trillion annually. Akinajo, who took reporters on a guided ride and tour of the physical infrastructure of the Blue Line Rail from the Marina Station to the National Arts Theatre Station in Orile-Iganmu, said Sanwo-Olu would be the first passenger to board the train on Monday, September 4, at 9 a.m.
She stated that partial passenger operations will begin on Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. for the morning peak and from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for the afternoon peak and that the operations will begin with 12 trips for two weeks before increasing to 76 excursions per day.
Mrs. Akinajo said that, while the train is electric, it would run on a locomotive during the first four weeks of operation to allow the electric system to fully charge and sync with the physical infrastructure, adding that the aim is to allow passengers to become acquainted with the rail system.
She stated that despite the train running on a locomotive for the first four weeks, the tracks would remain energized and people would not be permitted to cross them.
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