LAMATA Slashes Blue Rail Travel Time by 44%, Boosts Peak Trips to 90 Daily

Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) will enhance Blue Rail Line services starting Monday, August 11, 2025, reducing travel time by 44% and increasing weekday trips from 72 to 90.Trains will run every 10 minutes during peak hours with four train sets, and two during off-peak, while Sunday operations remain at 22 trips.

This upgrade cuts journey times by about eight minutes along the Marina-Mile 2 corridor, addressing Lagos’ ₦4 trillion annual congestion cost (National Bureau of Statistics, 2024).

LAMATA Managing Director Engr. Abimbola Akinajo confirmed the upgrades, funded by Lagos State and Federal Governments, will accommodate over 50,000 additional daily passengers and enhance reliability. Since its September 2023 launch, the Blue Rail Line has served over five million passengers, diverting 12,000 vehicles daily and supporting Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology T.H.E.M.E.S goal of 30% public transit usage by 2030.

The Blue Line’s extension to Okokomaiko is on track for completion by Q4 2026, with passenger services starting in Q1 2027, further integrating western Lagos into the city’s transit network.

– By oshuniran Sheriff Ola