Excitement as new Lagos-Ibadan train operation begins

Passengers travelling from Ibadan to Lagos had plenty of fun and a smooth ride on the train on Monday as the Nigerian Railway Corporation commenced commercial operation on the new standard gauge rail line.

The train with all the trappings of modernity including air conditioner left Ibadan, the Oyo State capital at 8am, according to a statement by the NRC, captioned, ‘NRC starts Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge passengers train’ and return passengers going from Lagos to Ibadan at 4pm.

Managing Director of the NRC, Mr Fidet Okhiria, had said during the last inspection visit and train tour of the new line by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, that the new train would commence operation on December 7.

He also said 24 new coaches, four locomotives dedicated to passenger train, nine freight locomotives, and shunting locomotives had arrived in Lagos while two of the freight locomotives would be transferred to Warri.

The statement by the corporation on the starting of the new train on Monday signed by the Lagos District Public Relations Officer, Dr Khadijah Aroyewun-Adekomaiya, quoted the NRC Lagos District Manager, Jerry Oche, as saying the train was “run using newly acquired coaches and locomotives.”

He added, “This service is fast, convenient, safe and relatively cheap. There is an option for everyone as the tickets are available in Economy to First-Class rates.”

Oche explained that “the journey time from Lagos to Ibadan is two and a half hours which makes more sense going by recent reports of traffic that has characterised Lagos-Ibadan road due to ongoing road construction along that axis.

“Train service in Lagos is experiencing a new dawn and we are encouraging Nigerians to embrace this new service.”

The corporation also said it observed all the regulations concerning the running of trains during the period of COVID-19 such as wearing of nose masks, hand washing practice, which are measures put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Some details about the new train were also given by a presidential aide, Tolu Ogunlesi, in a tweet, stating that “For now, it’s doing 30-40km/hr in Lagos metropolis.”

He added, “Speed and capacity will increase with time. Keep in mind there’s still some construction work ongoing (station buildings etc).

“Also likely won’t hit maximum speeds until the line fencing is completed. (Sadly because of some Lagosians’ love for rail-line merchandising).”

The statement issued on Monday by the NRC is presented below:

NIGERIAN RAILWAY CORPORATION

                 PRESS RELEASE

NRC STARTS LAGOS-IBADAN STANDARD GUAGE PASSENGERS TRAIN

The Nigeria Railway Corporation has commenced the operation of passengers trains from Lagos – Abeokuta – Ibadan  on Monday December 7th, 2020. This newly introduced service provides fully air-conditioned train services in different categories.

The Lagos Ibadan standard gauge train affords members of the public the opportunity to leave Ibadan for Lagos at 8. 00am in the morning and return at 4.00pm same day.

“The newly introduced standard gauge trains have finally come to fruition as the service is run using newly acquired coaches and locomotives. This service is fast, convenient, safe and relatively cheap. There is an option for everyone as the tickets are available in Economy to First Class rates” Engr Jerry Oche (Railway District Manager).

“The journey time from Lagos to Ibadan is two and a half hours which makes more sense going by recent reports of traffic that has characterised Lagos Ibadan road due to ongoing road construction along that axis. Train services in Lagos is experiencing a new dawn and we are encouraging Nigerians to embrace this new service” Engr Jerry Oche.

All major rules and regulations guiding the trains remain, especially in the area of nose mask usage and hand washing practice, which are measures in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 while on-board the train.

Khadijah Aroyewun-Adekomaiya (PhD)

DPRO (LD) EBJ