The fare increased from N460.00 to N700.00 due to the new tariff, which went into effect on Tuesday.

The organization and its passengers are at odds over the new fare policy after many claimed that the old price was careless and used to be thrown on them without warning.

The administration, according to the passengers, was more interested in running the narrow-gauge trains for profit than in catering to the needs of the mass-transit riders.

They started the accessible instruct was once barely in a position to cater for the surge and queried why no strive had been made in the final decade to add or restore any of the historic locomotive coaches, to add to the two that had been working.

Lagos Railway District Manager Tony Arase, said the first phase of six coaches was being refurbished at Iddo and Loco workshops, noting that “as soon as work on the coaches is completed, they will be attached to the existing coaches in the corporation’s fleet.”

He said after the first phase, another batch of six coaches would be removed from operation and sent to the workshops for refurbishing so as not to utterly ground train operation.

TechEconomy understands that one of the major factors that contribute to the hike in fares is the cost of diesel because trains require diesel to operate.

The cost of diesel has gone up by more than three times and it is costing us to mount human and material security that it requires to keep the trains operating.

Ademola Adegoroye, Minister of State for Transportation, stated this at a press conference on Wednesday following the council meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

He stated that the devices had become necessary due to the need to advance the security of lives and property in the nation’s railway facilities and the sector’s railway revolution.

The FEC also approved the N6.278 billion naira maintenance of the pavement of the third mainland bridge, to be completed within 24 months.

Lagos Rail Mass Transit is a rapid transit system in Lagos State. The rail system is managed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.

This was disclosed by the Managing Director, Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo, at the commencement of the test running in Lagos on Monday from Marina to Mile 2.

Akinajo said that the exercise would last between 2 to 3 months, to enable Lagos residents to enjoy the free ride before the full rail operation begins in April.

Test-run involves a free train ride 3 times a week over the next 2 months

The LAMATA boss said the testing would be carried out three times a week over the next two months.

She said, “The test run is open for Lagosians from all walks of life to board the train and have a feel of its comfort.

“Market men and women, artisans, students, members of the media, and other professionals are being invited to enjoy the free train ride.”

“Any Nigerian who wishes to join the free train ride should send their email address to LAMATA to enable us to book them for the free ride within the week.’’

According to her, rail transport is not a direct bus system; there are a lot of things that are involved, including all these.

She said, “We must ensure we put them in top shape before we begin commercial operation.”

She said the authority expected feedback from all categories of people, such as traders, university students, and primary and secondary schools, during the test run before starting the commercial operation.

Train operations to run from 5.30 am to 11 pm daily
Akinajo said the automatic processing unit could process 250 passengers every minute, adding that the schedule called for a train to run every 3 minutes.

She said, “For the first phase, the Blue Light train will be able to carry between 200,000 and 250,000 passengers daily, based on the availability of rolling stock.”

”Right now, the government has purchased three rolling stocks, while another six may be purchased when the government completes the second phase.”

“Operations would run from 5.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.” The system is designed to run a train in three minutes.

”During rush hours, we will pull more trains, while during off-peak periods, we will pull off the operation.’’

She said that the government was still working on the template that would make the train affordable to the people, based on the current situation in the country.

The LAMATA boss stated that the fare had not been set by the government, but that when it was, the government would ensure that it reflected the current circumstances and was affordable and friendly to residents.

Mr. Augustin Arisa, the NRC’s Lagos District Manager, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.

Arisa stated that the firm had 173,488 passengers in 2021 and 519,738 in 2022.

The official attributed the increase in passengers in 2022 to the Federal Government’s awareness and free trips from the end of 2021 through the first week of January 2022.

He said: “The Standard Gauge fare from Lagos to Ibadan (Mobolaji Johnson Ebute Meta to Obafemi Awolowo Station in Moniya) cost N9,000 for executive class.

“N6,500 for Business class, N3,600 for standard class and it cost N3,000 for standard class for minors.

“From Lagos to Abeokuta (Mobolaji Johnson Ebute-Meta to Prof. Wole Soyinka Station in Abeokuta) the fare is N6,000 for executive class, N4,500 for business class, N3,000 for standard and minor N2,000.

“From Abeokuta to Ibadan the standard gauge fare is N3000 for executive, N2,000 for business class, and N1,000 for standard class.”

Arisa further stated that in 2021, the company registered 524,093 passengers on the Mass Transit train from Lagos to Ijoko in Ogun and 964,631 passengers in 2022.

According to the district manager, the corporation operates four excursions daily from Lagos to Ijoko — two in the morning between 6.30 a.m. and 7.00 a.m., and two in the evening at 5.30 p.m. and 6.00 p.m., respectively.

He stated that the firm would continue to raise public awareness of its services and that various social media platforms would be used to do so.

Arisa went on to say that the corporation had also put measures in place to combat hoodlum destruction of NRC sites.

When compared to the first quarter (Q1) of 2022, the data shows a decline of 71%.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has released a new report titled “Rail Transportation Data Q2 2022” that includes the most recent NRC data.

According to the report, 422,393 persons used the train system in Q2 2022, as opposed to the 953,099 passengers registered in the first quarter of 2022.

The fall in passenger numbers had a major impact on the company’s capacity to earn revenue.

In Q2 2022, N598,736,300 in income was earned from passengers, compared to N2,077,836.876 in Q1 2022.

While there was a decrease in revenue from passengers, the report shows that there was an increase in the revenue generated from goods and cargo.

Analysis of the Index shows that the revenue generated from goods/cargos in Q2 2022 was N86,007,680, while revenue generated from goods/cargos in Q1 2022 was N71,769,967.

Recall that in March, the NRC suspended its Abuja-Kaduna train operations after gunmen planted explosives on the rail track and attacked passengers.

The Lagos State Governor made his known, Sunday evening during an interview monitored by TechEconomy on Channels television.

“We are being very creative in our financing and we have single digits from Nigerian local banks.”

Lagos State Government was being supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria and three other banks – Sterling, Fidelity, and Access, for the railway project.

TechEconomy understands that the total amount the Central Bank of Nigeria made available for the project is N60 billion and had disbursed N45 billion.

This is one of the projects the apex bank and some deposit money banks are supporting under its N1trillion DCR Intervention.

The Governor assured residents that work had progressed on the blue and red rail lines in Lagos.

He explained that the blue line would be launched first in December this year, after which the red rail line would be launched in the first quarter of 2023.

He said, “All of the infrastructure would be ready. The difference is that the red line was conceived within our tenure.

We inherited the blue line and we have done a lot of development on it. Phase one of it would start from Mile 2 to Marina. Phase two is from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko.”

Sanwo-Olu said the second phase of the blue line was at the ground level and quicker for the government to lay the tracks.

He also revealed that the red line would stretch from Agbado to Ebute Meta, while phase two would be over the lagoon to Marina at some time in the future.

To Unveil 4 Other Rail lines

In that interview, he said that four new rail lines would be unveiled in the state before the end of the year, but they are still conducting feasibility studies on the viability of the new rail lines.

He said, “We have four other lines that we are doing an extensive feasibility study on.

We have committed huge resources to the viability and they should be ready before the end of the year. We are the only sub-national doing a rail by itself.

Abimbola Akinajo who leads as the Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), during a panel session at the Africa Mobility Conference in Eko Hotel, said the government was very much concerned about the future of transportation. 

She revealed that the government plans to complete both the blue and red metro lines this year, to meet the demand of road passengers.

She also added that the yearns for a transport sector driven by technology, where individuals and groups of people can easily engage, track and plan their movements via public and private mobility means by simply engaging their phones.

According to MD LAMATA, future mobility must speak to the ease of mobility by leveraging technology to drive physical infrastructure.

She said all transportation modes such as land, water, and rail must be fully integrated and driven by technology. 

My vision for me is to have a fully integrated transport system by ensuring that road, rail, and water are connected through technology without hassle within a short timeframe. 

“Think of the ease of mobility, so we can’t take away technology from it. We will continue to drive physical infrastructure, which must be aided and completely driven by technology.” 

In another conference, she said, “A study conducted on the red line says it should serve a million passengers, while the blue line should serve 750,000 passengers a day.”

The LAMATA boss also noted that the rail lines would not only be sustainable but would also reduce carbon emissions greatly when they begin operations.

She noted that the blue rail line would be electric, while the engine of the red line, though would run on diesel, can be converted to electric to tie into the plan of reducing combustion in the mega city.

Akinajo explained that building the rail lines had not been so smooth as the workers encountered many challenges in the process.

“Lagos Is a small land area and it is highly populated. The first challenge is securing the right of way. However, securing your corridor is a big challenge.”

She mentioned that the cost of the rail line and every other thing involved in it was also another challenge the authority faced. An example, she added, was that workers had to be very cautious while building the tracks in order not to destroy public utilities like underground pipes.

“We are sharing the track with the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) on the red line from Agbado to Ebute Meta. And then we would be building our own independent track from Ebute Meta to Oyingbo. The final one is when we move from Oyingbo to Marina.”

The LAMATA boss advocated for rail as the best form of mass transit transportation. She said the government was committed to completing all rail projects, as well as the monorail it promised. This development, she said, would bring about more jobs.