Mr Fidet Okhiria who is the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, has disclosed that the corporation will begin six train trips daily on the Standard Gauge Train across the board in 2024.
Okhiria made this disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN which was monitored by Africa Today News, New York.
“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 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 the country, we limit ourselves to daytime.
Read Also: China To Fund Abuja-Kano, Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railways
“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.
In a related development, the Chinese government announced on Wednesday its intent to offer financial backing and ensure the execution of the Abuja-Kano and Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri railway projects.
At a meeting in Beijing, President Xi Jinping of China assured his support, responding to President Bola Tinubu’s requests conveyed by Vice President Kashim Shettima, as indicated in a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, on Wednesday.
The statement is titled ‘At 3rd Belt and Road Initiative Forum: China commits to refinancing, completing Abuja-Kano, Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri railways.’
China has not yet allocated funds for the two major railway projects in Nigeria since their commencement, primarily owing to financial constraints and prior commitments.