The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) will begin the Port-Harcourt to Aba, Lagos to Kano train services for both passengers and freight in the first quarter of 2024.
The NRC managing director, Fidet Okhaira noted that the NRC will also begin six train trips daily on the Standard Gauge Train across board in 2024.
Okhaira said that train was meant to be operating 24 hours, but the present situation in the country had reduced the turnaround time.
“We are going to increase 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,” Okhaira said on Monday.
“The trips will commence before the second quarter of 2024. Right now, they are running four trips — two up and two down across board.
”What is limiting us is the night operations, and that is not the way train should operate. Train is meant to operate at all times. People may like to travel in the evening, but because of the security situation in to the country, we limit ourselves to day time.
“We intend to bring back passenger and freight train from Port-Harcourt to Aba, Lagos to Kano and Kaduna because of the dry ports,” he added.
Okhaira said the NRC had vandalism issue at Warri-Itakpe area in 2023, which was fixed two weeks after the incident took place.
