2023-10-31 23:11:54
In Nigeria, the city of Lagos inaugurated a section of its very first elevated metro line, the Blue Line, at the beginning of September. The introduction of a fully electrified train represents a small revolution in Nigeria’s commercial capital, known for its traffic jams and chaotic urban planning.
The railway line and its Blue train which spans the lagoon gives the megalopolis of Lagos the air of a futuristic city. The idea was born almost 40 years ago but work only started in 2011 and was significantly delayed. The first section of the metro finally opened on September 4. Fatiu Bulala Opeyemi, a young content creator, came on board: “ The air conditioning, the space, everything is cool and the people were so well behaved, it made me feel like I was in London, like I was in the USA ! Because here in Lagos, even to get on the municipal buses, you have to run, you have to jump, you have to push ! But in the metro it’s much easier »
Ultimately, two aerial metro lines should connect the different centers of activity in the megalopolis of Lagos: markets, business district, and even the airport. For the moment, only eight stops are operational on the Blue Line, which will have thirteen in total. After a period of testing on diesel, the locomotive is now fully electric. A feat in a country with a faulty network and which suffers from serious shortages.
Timi Soleye is project manager for Lamp Turnkey, responsible for supplying the train with electricity: “ We have dedicated infrastructure, which allows the blue line to be directly connected to the national electricity network in two ways. But on top of that, we built an independent power plant, which produces 8 megawatts of electricity, and which powers a battery system. This system is connected directly to the train and operates without interruption. So in the event of a failure of the national electricity network, there are enough safeguards to be sure that there is no interruption in the line. »
User distrust
Despite high attendance during peak hours, Lagos residents still display a certain distrust of this new means of transport, according to Joseph Akinpelu, an engineer with the Lagos transport authority: “ We had projected that there would be around 150 000 passengers per day on the Blue Line, but for the moment there are only 10 000 approximately. But the good news is that there are more and more of them. People still have doubts for their ssecurity, they say to themselves: “Won’t I get electrocuted if I get on this train?”. There just needs to be an awareness that it is a safe means of transport. »
The blue train now makes 54 daily journeys – the number is due to increase to 74 per day by the end of November.
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