In a video obtained, visibly distressed passengers were seen fanning themselves with their hands, hand fans, handkerchiefs and improvised materials inside the packed railway coach, complaining of suffocation, excessive heat, and a lack of ventilation.
According to the passengers, the train’s glass windows were tightly sealed, preventing airflow, while the air-conditioning units failed to work throughout the journey. Several passengers could be heard gasping for breath as the heat intensified inside the coach.
“This heat is too much. Lagos railway, they locked us here. No air-conditioning and they don’t open windows. Please, help us call Lagos State railway, Red Line, and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. From Oyingbo, heat is affecting us right here,” a female passenger cried out in the video.
Other commuters echoed similar concerns, warning that the situation had become dangerous and life-threatening.
“People are slumping, people are fainting inside this train. Help us report to them. See as people are blowing themselves. Help us. See, the heat is too much,” another passenger said anxiously.
The video shows some of the commuters standing shoulder to shoulder in the coach as they struggled to cope with the stifling conditions.
Another voice in the background lamented the failure of basic safety standards on the rail service.
“Rail line from Oyingbo, heat wants to kill us here. Help us report them. The heat is too much. The rail is supposed to have AC but they didn’t put on the AC. Help us tell their management, heat is killing us here,” the passenger said.
The affected route runs between Oyingbo and Agbado, a busy corridor used daily by thousands of Lagos residents seeking affordable and faster transportation.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about passenger safety, maintenance standards, and emergency preparedness on the Lagos rail system operated under the Lagos State Government rail initiative.
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