Moving Lagos – The Blue Metro Line

The study by Dr. Temilade Sesan and Israel Falaye examines six criteria: operations (the efficiency of the service on the line); maintenance (the upkeep of the infrastructure over the medium to long term); safety (the efficacy of measures put in place to protect lives and property); sustainability (the impact of the technological choices made on the environment); affordability (the pricing regime and the ability/willingness of commuters to pay for the service); and inclusiveness (the diversity of commuter segments that the line caters to). 

While the first three criteria score relatively well, not least because the infrastructure, built and currently operated by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), is still new, it is clear that the Blue Line is hardly fulfilling the hopes of significantly relieving road traffic. The journeys have so far mainly been used by white-collar workers, who only make up a fraction of daily commuters in the city. Those in the informal sector find it difficult to identify with this means of transportation, which on the one hand does not take into account their needs for freight transport, and on the other hand, is still too expensive and inconvenient compared to road transport. 

Due to the lack of transparency around the construction and maintenance costs of the Blue Line, the study was unable to compare the extent to which funds might have been used more efficiently for the maintenance and expansion of road infrastructure, including bus and pedestrian routes. Going forward, it is crucial for the government to evaluate the extent to which new rail lines can be better aligned with the needs and socio-economic realities of customers from the informal sector in order to become a substantive means of mass transportation in the city.