NRC to increase train trips in 2024 — MD

The Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Fidet Okhiria, has said that the corporation will begin six train trips daily on the Standard Gauge Train across the board in 2024.

Okhiria made the disclosure in an interview with the newsmen in Lagos on Monday.

He said that trains were meant to operate 24 hours a day, but the present situation in the country had reduced the turnaround time.

“We are going to increase the number of train trips to six on Lagos-Ibadan, Warri-Itakpe, and Abuja-Kaduna, which means the trips will be three times to and three times fro, making six trips in a day.

“The trips will commence before the second quarter of 2024. Right now, they are running four trips—two up and two down across the board.

"What is limiting us is the night operations, and that is not the way trains should operate. A train is meant to operate at all times. People may like to travel in the evening, but because of the security situation in the country, we limit ourselves to daytime.

“We intend to bring back passenger and freight trains from Port Harcourt to Aba, Lagos to Kano, and Kaduna because of the dry ports,” Okhiria said.

He said the NRC had a vandalism issue in the Warri-Itakpe area in 2023, which was fixed two weeks after the incident took place.

The NRC boss said that it would be difficult for the train tracks to be vandalised when it was occupied.

He said that price of commodities would reduce drastically with the freight train operating across the country.

Okhiria said that the corporation would begin the Port-Harcourt-Aba, Lagos to Kano train service for both passengers and freight in the first quarter of 2024.

He said that Dala Dry Port had been asking NRC to come up and bring cargo to them, while Funtua and Kaduna Dry Ports had also shown interest in freight haulage.

Okhiria said that the railway would partner with all the dry ports in the country to reduce time spent doing business and increase government revenue.

He said that NRC had employed junior staff from levels four and six and was awaiting government approval before placing them.

The NRC boss said that they employed the junior staff to enhance their operations.

Okhiria commended government efforts in connecting rail across the country and urged Nigerians to develop an interest in rail transportation.