Lagos Blue Line Rail to commence operations in Y2021

The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde has disclosed that the Lagos Blue Line Rail will convey its first set of passengers in year 2021.

Speaking on ‘Lagos Today’, a programme aired by Lagos Television, Oladeinde stated that the present administration is committed to the completion date deadline, saying that the government is very passionate about the actualisation of an effective intra-State rail system.

Oladeinde explained further that the inter-State rail line currently being constructed by the Federal Government will serve as the Red Line Rail spanning from Alagbado to Marina.

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“The rail and other modes of transportation are very key in the Strategic Transport Master Plan which will feature a sustainable and innovative integrated Multi-Modal System that will ultimately ease the traffic flow within the State”, Oladeinde said.

He averred that steps being taken to boost water transportation, including the partnership with UBER and local boat manufacturers to reduce the cost of boats, disclosing that Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) will manage the movement of boats and patrol activities from a control room to be established by the government.

The Commissioner also stated that a team, comprising of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), OPMESA and the Nigerian Police Force, has been set up and mandated to ease traffic gridlock in identified hotspots.

Accordingly, the team is expected to tackle the factors responsible for the congestion experienced on roads, including indiscriminate offloading and pick-up of passengers, especially by commercial vehicle operators, street trading and crossing of the expressway by pedestrians.

While noting that relevant stakeholders, including NURTW, have been notified and engaged to ensure compliance with traffic laws, Oladeinde affirmed that the ongoing enforcement will ultimately resolve traffic challenges around the 60 identified gridlock points in Lagos.

He, therefore, solicited the cooperation of Lagosians, assuring that all government investments in the transportation sector will result in an enduring solution to identified problems.