The 13km-long (8-mile) first part, which was delayed for many years, opens its companies to assist make commuting simpler.
A protracted-awaited metro rail service on Monday started operations in Lagos to assist slash journey occasions and make commuting simpler within the Nigerian business hub.
The 13-kilometre-long (8-mile) first part lastly carried its first passengers on Monday, 4 a long time after plans for the rail service had been proposed.
The Blue Line – constructed by China Civil Engineering Development Corp – hyperlinks the mainland a part of town the place most individuals reside with the extra prosperous Lagos Island, the place many companies are headquartered.
The metro system has been dogged by funding and administrative delays because it was initially deliberate in 1983. Lagos officers held a proper opening ceremony for the service in December, but it surely has not truly carried passengers till now.
Marking the opening of the electric-powered service, considered one of its blue-coloured trains carried its first passengers, together with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who mentioned enough safety had been supplied to stop vandalism of the rail infrastructure.
Expensive Lagosians,
We started business operations for the long-awaited Blue Line Rail from Marina to Mile 2 as we put #LagosOnTrack collectively.
With a beginning 50% low cost on all public transport fares with the Cowry Card, we’re making certain that Lagosians can transfer freely in pursuit… pic.twitter.com/bPGizWounU
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu) September 4, 2023
Lagos’s greater than 20 million residents expertise common site visitors gridlock, forcing annoyed motorists and commuters to spend hours in site visitors, however the brand new service is predicted to dramatically slash travelling occasions.
A journey that when took greater than two hours will now take simply quarter-hour, Lagos state officers have mentioned.
Development of the second part of the rail challenge is predicted to start later this yr and on completion, the metro is predicted to hold some 500,000 passengers every day, officers say.
