The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Monday increased its Lagos-Ogun Mass Transit Train Services (MTTS) to two trains daily to reduce the sufferings usually experienced by its commuters.
The NRC’s District Manager, Lagos, Mr Jerry Oche, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it was also to reduce the inadequacy the single train being operated had been creating.
NAN reports that the NRC resumed operations on Jan. 23 after about four month’s suspension with one-return-trip train daily.
This suspension of its service along the corridor was to facilitate the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line.
Oche said that the corporation had to commence the second train having considered the pains of its many commuters in the state.
According to Oche, the introduction of the second train by the corporation will reduce the plights and sufferings of its commuters.
The manager said, “We started the second Lagos MTT (Mass Transit Train) today because of the congestion in our single rake.
“All we want to do now is to be operating two trains daily.
“They will be taking off from Ijoko and Kajola in Ogun and be terminating at Iddo Terminus in Lagos State each day for some time, before we fully bounce back.
“The take-off time of the trains will be 0600hrs and 0630hrs from Ijoko and Kajola respectively to Iddo Terminus.
“The trains will return in the evenings at 1730hrs to Kajola and 1830hrs to Ijoko.”
Oche said that each of the trains has 12 coaches and each coach has a 92-seating capacity.
He said that the corporation would increase the coaches to 14 each with time.
He said that the one-return-trip train from Kajola to Iddo since Jan. 23 was transporting an average of 5,000 commuters daily.
Oche said that with the additional train, the corporation would be able to transport more passengers on daily basis.
The manager said that the corporation also was aware that the two trains it had put in place would not meet the demand of the teeming commuters.
He said that the corporation was working hard to increase the service.
Similarly, he said that the corporation was putting necessary machinery in motion that would see that the Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) commence operations soon.
Oche commended commuters patronising the train service for their patience and understanding.
He said that the corporation would soon resume full operations in both the passengers and freights services on the corridors.
NAN also reports that the NRC had on Friday resumed its weekly transit on the Lagos-Kano passenger train service.
This was after it had suspended its operations for five months.
The corporation said that part of the reasons it resumed its service with one-round-trip train was to do some trials on the news tracks.
It said that the construction of the tracks following the standard gauge rail line had just been completed.
