President Muhammadu Buhari has officially commissioned the first phase of the 27-kilometre-long Blue Rail Line targeted to transport 7.5 million residents of Lagos State monthly.
Contracted by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the rail project is West Africa’s first electric-powered light rail and the largest infrastructure investment project in Lagos state, Nigeria.
The project is also the first rail infrastructure traversing Okokomaiko, a densely populated area in the western part of Lagos, and Marina, a business district on Lagos Island.
With the commercial operation, the project is expected to greatly improve connectivity of the Nigerian economic hub and provide railway construction experience for the rest of Nigeria and other countries in West Africa.
The president who was joined in the unveiling by Lagos governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun praised the project as historic adding that the rail will reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, as well as improve the lives of locals.
In his welcome remarks, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the new light rail is significant to the Nigerian economy because it would increase revenue generation, provide jobs, reduce travel time, improve the quality of life of citizens and make Lagos one of the most resilient megacities in Africa capable of competing favourably with other cities around the world.
Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun praised the project as a major part of China-Nigeria infrastructure cooperation, aimed at improving the efficiency of Lagos residents at work.
“It is a line of speed, line of sustainability, line of harmony. Today, we understand the meaning of time, we need to sustain the usage of time for greater efficiency,” Cui said.
Construction of the first phase of the Lagos Blue Line project started in July 2010 and was completed in December 2022. The first phase of the project stretches 13 kilometres, with five stations, and is expected to transport over 250,000 passengers daily.
