Blue Line (Lagos Transit)
The Blue Line is an electric rapid transit line that runs in Lagos, Nigeria. It is part of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit system run by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.
The first phase with five stations and of track opened on 4 September 2023. The full line is set to be and is expected to carry 500,000 passengers a day.
The line's Class 210 trains are made by CRRC Dalian and based on Chinese Type B trains from Tianjin Metro Line 2. They have a maximum speed of 100 km/h, although they will only operate at 80 km/h.
History
In April 2008, the Lagos State Government approved ₦ 70 billion for construction of the Okokomaiko-Iddo-Marina Line, with an estimated completion date of 2011. However, the project suffered many delays due to lack of funds. The opening date was revised to June 2013, then December 2016, then 2017. As of November 2016, only of the Blue Line had been completed. In August 2018, LAMATA signed an agreement with Alstom. As a part of the agreement, Alstom conducted a review of the rail lines, and electrification of a portion of the track was planned. It began service on 4 September 2023. In its first year, the Blue Line carried roughly 2 million passengers.Starting in August 2024, 72 train services run every day, an increase in frequency from 54 previously.
Development plan
is financing construction of the Blue Line with its own resources. The proposed advantages of the blue line are that is will allow commuters to spend less time travelling in the area by avoiding traffic jams which can take many hours to get through, whilst also being cheaper. A journey that would have taken two hours in traffic can now be taken in fifteen minutes. The trains are electrified, and security has been provided to prevent vandalism.Contractors
The contract was awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, with advisory services being provided by CPCS Transcom Limited.Rolling Stock
In September 2011, LAMATA announced that it would acquire some H5-series subway trains formerly used by the Toronto Transit Commission for the Blue Line. The cars were to be refurbished in the United States and converted to standard gauge before being imported and put into service on the Blue and Red lines. The same contract also included an option for some H6-series subway cars from the TTC, however this has since been cancelled.In January 2015, LAMATA opted for Chinese-built trains instead, ordering 15 electro-diesel multiple units from CRRC Dalian with an option for 14 more. About 76 H5 cars that had been taken for refurbishment to Buffalo, New York, have been scrapped by August 2015.