More than 15,000 passengers patronize the railway in Lagos alone in eighteen trips per day the corporation has said.
This was revealed by the Assistant Director, Public Relation of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. David Ndanusa Ndakotsu while speaking with our correspondent in his office, last week.
Mr. Ndakotsu said the trains ran eighteen trips across the state, adding that trains were always on the move every hour between Lagos and Ogun states. According to him, the trains also plied Iddo and Ijoke, Apapa and Alagbado axis while another mass transit train move from Minna to Kaduna, twice a week carrying about 22,000 passengers.
“I know that we carry almost fifteen thousand passengers per day in Lagos alone because we run eighteen trips, every one hour, train is going, train is coming between Lagos and Ogun,” he said.
The Deputy Director revealed that the transformation was as result of the Federal Government’s effort to improve on the sector thereby bringing transformation that the sector never witnessed in the history of this country into the sector.
He said, “Today almost all the trains in parts of the country are running with the exception of Eastern axis where work is currently nearing completion on the track within that corridor.
However, he said that the rail transport was becoming popular among the people so much that some people abandon their cars at home and settled for train adding that the traffic congestion on the roads on the roads leaves many people with no option than to settle for the train.
He stated further that the government was buying more coaches and locomotives for the corporation because of the high demand of train services. In his words,’ the number of passengers is increasing every day, which is why the government is buying the coaches and locomotives for us because of the high demand of train services’.
