Sanwo-Olu Vows To Test Run Lagos Blue Rail Line Trains In December

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday restated his administration’s commitment to the timely delivery of infrastructure needed for economic prosperity of the state, insisting that the test run of the Lagos Blue trains would start in December this year.

Sanwo-Olu stated this during the celebration of the Last T-Beam Launch for Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line Project held in Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu said,’’ This administration will continue to keep to its promises on timely completion of infrastructural projects in the state.

“Today is a historic day. We are launching the Last T-Beam and it is part of our commitment to deliver the Blue Line project as scheduled and on time to the residents of Lagos before the end of August.”

While commending the CCECC for keeping to its words in terms of delivering the project as scheduled, the governor added: “We want to see the completion of this project.”

The governor said that his administration is committed to ensuring that the project is completed on time, especially as it will continue to meet deadlines.

“This administration will continue to meet up with its promises on timely completion of infrastructural projects in the state,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The last T-Beam launch, which was the 984th for the Blue line rail project, the governor described as historic because it signposts that the Blue Line project would be delivered on schedule.

The governor said that the Marina station, which is the iconic station for the Blue Line Project will be completed before December ending.

“We want to ensure that we formally complete the Blue Line before December 31, 2022,” he stated.

Disclosing that the trains, which will carry passengers in the state from one location to another are on the way and arrive from China to Nigeria in October, Sanwo-Olu added: “We hope that the two brand new sets will arrive in the country before the end of October.

“However, we will be doing testing from December, with the hope that real passenger movement will start in the first quarter of 2023.

“We will take this construction from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko all the way back, and while taking it back, we will build a station at FESTAC Town, at alakija,.. at Volkswagen, at LASU and finally, at the Okokomaiko.’’

He said that the Lagos government is in a discussion with its Ogun State counterpart on how to further extend it to Agbara.

The Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo, in her address, said the Blue Line project, a 27-kilometre rail line from Okokomaiko to Marina, has been one of the most difficult projects the Lagos State government has embarked upon given the many challenges it has had to overcome.

According to Akiajo: “To get to this point, we have had disturbances and delays in the relocation of submarine cables, submarine natural gas pipelines, and removal of underground shipwrecks. The submarine geological conditions are complex, thus making construction in the lagoon extremely difficult.’’