Lagos-Ibadan train formally begins Sept

The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) is expected to start commercial services on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge by September, Daily Trust can report.

The service would now run from Ibadan to Ebute-Metta unlike the previous trial run which stopped at Iju near Ogun State.

The free trial run was carried out for about three months until it was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But during the COVID-19, the contractor, the China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC), completed the track laying of the project to Ebute-Metta which is the original destination before it was extended to Apapa Ports.

Speaking with Daily Trust on the sidelines of Saturday’s inspection of the project, NRC Managing Director, Engr. Fidet Okhiria, said the corporation would do one or two free trial runs and immediately commence commercial service.

NRC has also acquired more coaches and rolling stock to beef up the standard gauge operation.

The MD said, “We would do one or two test-run and we would start commercial, enough of a free ride. By the middle of September hopefully, we would begin.

“Our people are undergoing training on the locomotives, coaches both maintenance and operation. By the end of the month, they would finish the training.

“We have marked our coaches and we are making sure that our doors can be locked so that people would not just jump on the train and they put on their facemask,” Okhiria said.