President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday inaugurated the 13 kilometers (km) phase one of the Lagos State Blue Line that stretches from Marina to Mile Two, one of the six metro lines in the state government’s Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LMRT) master plan as contained in the Lagos State Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP).
The President, who completed his two days stay in the state having commissioned the iconic Lekki Deep Seaport and the Lagos Rice Mill, Imota had also on Tuesday commissioned the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History.
President Buhari, who did not make any comment at the ceremony before taking a train ride on the new track witnessed the signing ceremony of the contract for the second leg of the rail project between the Lagos State Government led by the Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and the contractor, Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).
According to the Governor, the second phase of the project is to complete the remaining 14 kilometer leg that will extend to the Okokomaiko area of state.
The Blue Line is a 27-kilometer rail route that will run from Marina to Okokomaiko when completed while the Marina station, where the President performed the official ceremony, will be the largest train hub in Africa.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who expressed his excitement said the Blue Line is the first of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) systems designed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (LAMATA).
The rail line he said will among numerous benefits reduce travel time for the people of Lagos and improve the wellbeing and quality of their lives as it is people focused as well improve the economy of the state.
