Lagos State residents have been warned by the state government to avoid crossing the track of the Blue Rail line which is set to start full commercial operations on Monday.
Passing the warning in a post on his Twitter handle, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Gboyega Akosile, advised the residents to rather use the overhead bridges as the rail line is electrified.
“Dear Lagosians, please be reminded as we kick off the commercial operations of the Lagos Blue Line Rail transport on Monday, that the rail line is electrified. Don’t cross the rail lines because it is dangerous. Use the overhead bridges that have been provided by the government. Thank you,” he wrote.
Also, the General Manager of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Abimbola Akinajo in a video clip accompanying Akosile’s post, expressed worry on the rate people cut fences on the Blue Rail and run across it.
“With regards to the operations of the Blue Line in particular, we all know that we have publicised that the Blue Line is going to be an electrified rail system. If you want to cross from one side to the other, you must use the overhead bridges.
“This is a necessity for all of us to understand and we have fenced all along the alignment for the Blue Line to ensure that people do not cross it. But what we see time and again is that people go there and they cut the fences and they run across.
“We have bothered to put pedestrian crossings; there is access for people with physical challenges, and therefore we have no reason to cross the track. So we just ask that people respect this and respect the rails because if we don’t, we will find ourselves in a very dire straits, ” she said.
The first phase of the rail line extends from Marina to Mile 2 with five stations located in Marina, National Theatre, Iganmu, Alaba, and Orile.
