Lagos residents take to the rails and waterways

Increased pressure on the two alternative means of transportation following road traffic snarls caused by closure of 3MB

The railways and water ways in Lagos have witnessed increased traffic as commuters take to these alternative means of transportation following the traffic snarls that have occurred as a result of the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for repairs.

At various ferry and railway terminals in the state, the trains and boats were filled to the brim as early as 5am as Lagos residents moved to their respective places of work and business.

The Ijoko and Agbado terminals of the Mass Transit Train Service (MTTS) of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), which usually cater to hundreds of passengers per day, were overwhelmed by the increased traffic.

NRC operates six shuttles in the morning and six in the evening, with each shuttle being filled to capacity by passengers. The already congested coaches groaned at their seams as more passengers struggled to sit on the roofs cling to the sides of the coaches.

Following this development, some of the commuters urged the management of the NRC to provide more locomotives and coaches especially during the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge.

Olayemi Animashun, a civil servant, said that the train service had been turned to a dangerous venture as more passengers now risk their lives hanging to whatever they could hold all through the trip. “The NRC management should come to the commuters’ aid before lives are lost,” he said.

Reacting, Adeseyi Sijuwade, NRC Managing Director, said that three additional coaches would be added to each locomotive, jerking them up by about 25 per cent capacity. “Although this will put more pressure on our train, we need to move people especially at this period when our patronage tends to increase,” he said.

Water transportation has also recorded a dangerous surge in passengers following the development. The car parks provided by the waterways transport operators at Majidun, Ebute, Ijede and Baiyeku in Ikorodu area were jam-packed as their owners took to ferry service.

Sekinotu Ajibade, a businesswoman, said that the closure of the bridge made her resort to the waterways as an alternative mode of transportation. “I envisaged that there will be traffic, so I decided to take the speed boat so as to avoid the rush and stress of going by road,” she said.  “I spend just 45 minutes to get to the jetty to board a speedboat to Ebute Ero. I see the transport fare as an investment because I will get to my shop early.”

Zachary Dekina, Operations Manager, Metroferry Service, said that the company was prepared for the expected crowd that would result from the repair works on the bridge.

“We expected a large turnout of passengers and we are prepared,” he said. “We have been able to reduce the crowd because about 15 speedboats and a ferry left for Victoria Island and CMS between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. We have moved over 350 passengers within the hour.”