Six additional train sets will arrive Lagos soon to strengthen the capacity of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue and Red Lines to deliver value to commuters and thereby increase the economic viability of the state.
According to a statement on Thursday by the Head, Corporate Communication at Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mr. Kolawole Ojelabi, the six trains sets, which have scaled the factory acceptance test hurdle, are scheduled for shipment to Lagos from China.
The addition of the train sets to the Blue Line rolling stock will increase the number of train trips along the corridor and will be deployed for passenger operation to Okokomaiko when Phase II of the Blue Line is completed, Ojelabi said.
He further said: “It is projected that the construction of Phase II from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko, about 14 kilometres in length, will be completed within the first quarter of 2027 and passenger operations extended to Okokomaiko shortly after.
“The completion of infrastructure for the first phase of the Blue Line, a 13-kilometre rail route from Marina to Mile 2, was launched by former President Muhammadu Buhari on 23 January 2023 and passenger operation opened on 4 September 2023 by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu”.
The Blue Line currently runs 72 trips per day and, with the procurement of three additional rolling stock, the trips are expected to increase.