By Rita Elenwo
The Lagos Blue Rail will resume passenger operations on Monday, as the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) releases an updated timetable.
LAMATA on its official X handle posted the new timetable Sunday showing an increase in train trips.
The state’s governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had on Thursday announced the suspension of the metro train operations over Saturday and Sunday because of the plan to increase the train trips and to ensure the safety of passengers.
Mr Sanwo-Olu noted on his official X handle that the train trips will be increased from 12 to 54, targeting 74 trips before the end of November on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line (Marina to Mile 2).
The governor explained that the suspension of passenger operations is a “global practice” to effect major changes, adding that the switch to electricity will help to serve more passengers safely.
According to Mr Sanwo-Olu, since the launch of the Blue Rail on 4 September, it has moved over 80,000 passengers.
“Our goal is to surpass 150,000 daily passengers between Marina and Mile 2 in the coming months,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, the train will run on an independent power supply – an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU), Kolawole Ojelabi, spokesperson of the state’s transport agency, told PREMIUM TIMES during the commissioning of the train system in January.
Mr Ojelabi noted that the train will use the power known as the Third Rail Electrification System. It will be powered by a public power source, an Independent Power Plant (IPP) and a UPS system.
Mr Ojelabi said the essence of doing that is for the train to “run unhindered.”
“If there is an outage, the UPS kicks in until when the IPP will start up, passengers will not know when this transition takes place,” he said.
When asked what the train is running on currently, he said “There is an engine that is pulling it – a wagon, so that wagon is being used to test it.”
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