The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, said on Monday the corporation would begin six train trips daily on the Standard Gauge Train across board this year.
Okhiria, who disclosed this to journalists in Lagos, said the train was expected to operate 24 hours, but the present situation in the country reduced the turnaround time.
He said: “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 from, 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 train should operate. The 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 the 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 that the corporation would begin the Port-Harcourt-Aba and Lagos-Kano train service for both passengers and freight in the first quarter of this year.
