The Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Company, Mr. Fidet Okhiria, has mentioned that the company will start six prepare journeys each day on the Customary Gauge Practice throughout the board in 2024.
Okhiria disclosed in an interview with the Information Company of Nigeria in Lagos State, on Monday.
He mentioned that the prepare was meant to function 24 hours, however the current state of affairs within the nation had lowered the turnaround time.
“We’re going to improve the variety of prepare journeys to 6 on Lagos-Ibadan, Warri-Itakpe and Abuja-Kaduna, which suggests the journeys will likely be thrice to and thrice fro, making six journeys in a day.
“The journeys will start earlier than the second quarter of 2024. Proper now, they’re operating 4 journeys — two up and two down throughout the board.
”What’s limiting us is the evening operations, and that isn’t the way in which prepare ought to function. The prepare is supposed to function always. Folks could wish to journey within the night, however due to the safety state of affairs within the nation, we restrict ourselves to the daytime,” he mentioned.
Okhiria added, “We intend to deliver again passengers and freight trains from Port-Harcourt to Aba, Lagos to Kano and Kaduna due to the dry ports.”
He mentioned the NRC had a vandalism problem within the Warri-Itakpe space in 2023, which was fastened two weeks after the incident occurred.
The NRC boss mentioned it will be tough for the prepare tracks to be vandalised when occupied.
He mentioned that the value of commodities would scale back drastically with the freight prepare working throughout the nation.
Okhiria mentioned that the company would start the Port-Harcourt-Aba, Lagos to Kano prepare service for each passengers and freight within the first quarter of 2024.
He additionally famous that the Dala Dry Port had been asking NRC to return up and convey cargo to them, whereas Funtua and Kaduna dry ports had additionally proven curiosity in freight haulage, including that the railway would accomplice with all of the dry ports within the nation to scale back the time of doing enterprise and improve authorities income.
He mentioned that NRC had employed junior workers from ranges 4 and 6, and was awaiting authorities approval earlier than inserting them whereas commending the federal government’s efforts in connecting rail throughout the nation and urging Nigerians to develop an curiosity in rail transportation.
PUNCH On-line reviews that Okhiria had mentioned the company was but to recuperate from earlier fare waivers by the Federal Authorities, following a earlier announcement by the FG of a 50 per cent waiver on interstate spherical transport and free prepare rides as a part of strikes to cushion the impression of the excessive price of residing within the nation, particularly in the course of the Yuletide.
The NRC boss defined that due to the excessive worth of diesel which the trains run on, the federal government ought to make provisions to cowl the fee and different logistics.
NAN