A short clip of a Lagos Blue Line train set on its elevated track at a station, with people at the front of the train who appear to be pushing it along.
The Blue Line is Lagos's flagship rail project, decades in the making. A clip of people apparently pushing the train went viral and became shorthand for public doubt about the project. When a similar clip circulated in April 2023, LAMATA called it doctored and said the train was moving under its own power, with people standing behind it rather than pushing.
What broke, and what would fix it
What broke
Whether the train was being pushed or not, the clip spread because people found it believable. After many announced megaprojects that stalled, people assume the worst. Showing the line running reliably every day would counter that better than a press statement.
What is the Blue Line's current daily ridership and service reliability, and are those figures published?