The Lagos State Government has announced that the newly inaugurated Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line train service will be temporarily suspended on Saturday, October 14, and Sunday, October 15 in order to transition from locomotive to electricity.
According to Nairametrics, the short closure of the Blue Rail Line will also aid in the transition from the current 12 to 54 train trips on Monday, October 16, with plans to increase to 74 trips by the end of November.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made this announcement in a public message on Wednesday via his official X (formerly Twitter) account. He said that the brief halt is to ensure that the safety of all passengers is top priority.
Sanwo-Olu reaffirmed that halting passenger service is a common practice around the world while implementing significant changes, adding that the move to electricity will enable us to launch more trips and provide safe passenger service for more people.
He said, “Dear Lagosians, here is an important update on our metro line, we will increase the number of train journeys on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line starting on Monday, October 16, 2023, from 12 to 54, with a goal of 74 trips by the end of November.
”We’ll need to suspend train service on Saturday, October 14, after the morning rush hour, and on Sunday, October 15, during the day in order to make the conversion to electricity. This brief break is necessary to ensure that your safety is our top priority.
“I can promise you that we will be able to offer more journeys and safely serve more customers thanks to this move to electricity.
”I’m pleased to report that since the LRMT Blue Line’s first phase was introduced on September 4, 2023, we have transported over 80,000 passengers. In the upcoming months, we intend to surpass 150,000 daily passengers between Marina and Mile 2.
”The trains in Lagos have a promising future, and I’m dedicated to making your commute better. As we continue to improve our public transport system, check back for further updates.”
