CCECC To Support University Of Transportation With $50m

As FG Offers Free Train Ride

THE Minister for Transport, Rotimi Amaechi has said the China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC) will be donating $50m to support the groundbreaking of the University of Transportation in Daura, Katsina tomorrow. He disclosed that only a single return trip had been scheduled to move passengers from Iju Ishaga area of Lagos State to Moniya, in Ibadan.

He explained that the three and a half train ride would have stopover at 12 stations located along the 156km railway corridor.

As it is, there are only three coaches on the train route, made up of one executive coach, and two conference room coaches.

The minister noted that they were still expecting about 10 passenger coaches scheduled to arrive by second week of January 2020. He admitted that although there are no sufficient coaches and locomotives, but “we will start with as many as we can take, pending when the 20 locomotives being imported arrive.

Amaechi, who disclosed this, yesterday, during a train visit to Ibadan from Iju in Lagos, said beginning from tomorrow, there will be free train ride from Iju in Lagos to Ibadan.

He said: “We know we promised to commence free train ride, which is what we did, today, to know the level of preparedness. We discovered some inadequacies, which will be corrected tomorrow. So, there will be a meeting between the management of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), contractors and TEAM professionals to fashion out the best way to start...”

Also, Managing Director of NRC, Fidet Okhiria said there would be a break on December 20 to enable them carry out an inspection and if satisfied, will make the trips twice daily. He said: “Hopefully by January, when all the coaches come, we will continue more trials and by April, we start our commercial operations when the stations will be fully ready…”