NRC to resume Lagos-Kano express train service

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has concluded plans to resume the Lagos-Kano express train service which was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Regional District Manager for Lagos, Engr. Jerry Oche said the NRC would revive the Lagos-Kano long haul trip with the movement of over 6000 pipes belonging to the Kaduna State Water Corporation to Zaria.

Speaking with newsmen after he was conferred with the award of Best Railway District Manager by the Transport Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (TCAN), Oche said the Lagos-Kano narrow gauge track is now ready for resumption of activities.

He said because of the suspension of activities due to the COVID-19 outbreak, some individuals began to vandalize the tracks.

“But if there are activities on the tracks, the vandalization will reduce,” he stated.

Oche disclosed that many people have been arrested and currently in the custody of the Railway Police Command for vandalization of the tracks on the Lagos-Kano axis.

Speaking further, the RDM said the losses by the corporation due to the suspension of activities on the Lagos corridor could not be quantified.

“Before COVID, we move 10,000 people everyday in Lagos alone on our Mass Transit Train (MTT) from Lagos to Ijoko, Ogun State,” he said.

He said apart from COVID-19, the NRC was also compelled to reduce the train services on Lagos axis because of the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge.

According to him, the movement of the pipes to Zaria would serve as a test-run for the Lagos-Kano mass transit.

He said, “As I am talking to you, the stretch (Lagos-Kano track) is okay. If we don’t start activities on it even as we are here seated some group of people might go somewhere and remove something, it has to be busy and even if it is busy because of the location of the lines, the probability that if I send a train from here and before it gets to Kutigi, it will be vandalized, I can’t give you 100 per cent but I believe that if there is activity on the line, the vandalization will reduce.

“We have two narrow gauge rail cars and two rail buses bought newly. We deployed the two rail buses for the narrow gauge to Minna and Ibadan. The one in Minna is patrolling the line every day while the one at Ibadan is patrolling between Western district and Lagos district.”
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