Railway
Railway vandals may face death penalty, says Amaechi
The Federal Government is considering capital punishment for railway track vandals in the country, Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has said.
He stated on Monday in Abuja at a town hall meeting on ‘Protecting Public Infrastructure’.
The meeting organised by the Ministry of Information was attended by community chiefs, security personnel and various stakeholders.
According to Amaechi, rail track vandalism is a capital offence and its consequences should be treated as such.
He said, “I am not quantifying the material cost; what I am quantifying is the lives that will be lost. Imagine that a driver of a rail track is driving and suddenly bumps into a track that has been severed; what happens? It will derail.
“Each coach in Nigeria carries about 85 passengers; sometimes we carry 14 coaches; sometimes 20. So imagine you are carrying a train of 14 or 20 coaches with 85 passengers in each coach, if it derails, can you quantify how many passengers that would die in the course of one man thinking he is making money.
“So, it is not about the cost but the lives that would have been lost because of few people’s interest.
“Some people have recommended that since these people are killing people, if accident happens, people will die, so we should go back to the National Assembly and pass a law that does not only criminalise the action but its consequences should be death.”
The minister noted that if armed robbery, whether successful or not attracted life imprisonment, rail track vanderlism should not be any less punitive.
According to him, the track vanderlism is being done in collaboration with foreign partners.
Amaechi said, “In Jos, they arrested a Chinese company that bought those track materials from them, went to court and court found them guilty and fined them N200,000. So there must be consequences as N200,000 is not enough.”
He commended residents along the Lagos-Ibadan rail track as no incident of vanderlism had been recorded along the route.
He said, “Lagos and the Western District recorded one; North Weste 31; Northern District 10; North East 43; Eastern District 36 and North Central, 50 incidents of vanderlism. Abuja-Kaduna has 13; Warri-Itakpe, two and Lagos-Ibadan, nil.”
He said the ministry and the Nigerian Railway Corporation were working at reducing the rate of vanderlism but a lot still needed to be done.
The minister frowned on the rate at which the tracks was being converted to shops and restaurants, especially in Port Harcourt and Lagos and warned such offenders to desist or be ready to face the penalties.
“The solution is put them in jail; all you need to do is pass a law, put them in jail. I’m sure if you take 15 to 30 people to court and are found guilty, you put them in jail; it will deter others.
The Managing Director, NRC, Mr Fidet Okhiria, also reiterated the need to penalise rail track vandals in the country to serve as deterrent to other people.
He said, “It is dangerous; it can lead to death of people, delays operation and it is cost-effective.
“Due to the vanderlism, we have to send a monitoring train before we send a train, it costs money running in this condition. And in some areas, we are not able to run a train.
“What we are trying to do is to sensitise; let the communities know that government’s property is their own. Know that if you vanderlise the track, you don’t know who will be affected.
“Technology is not cheap and any punishment that will deter these offenders I will support it.”
Railway
NRC increases trips on Abuja-Kaduna route from four to six
NRC increases trips on Abuja-Kaduna route from four to six
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced an increase in the number of trains on its Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) route in response to rising demand based on its customer feedback.
A statement signed by the NRC Deputy Director of Public Relations, Yakub Mahmood, on Wednesday, said the number of trains had been increased to six from four, running Monday to Friday during peak periods.
This development, it added, aimed to enhance customer satisfaction by making commuting more convenient and accessible on the route as well as tackling complaints of ticket racketeering.
The statement quoted the acting Managing Director of the NRC, Ben Iloanusi, as saying that a five-month trend analysis revealed a 22 per cent increase in new passengers registering on the ticketing platform for the Abuja-Kaduna route.
The surge, he said, showed a growing preference among Nigerians for train travel as a comfortable, reliable, and safe commuting option.
The statement read, “The Nigerian Railway Corporation, reaffirming its commitment to responding to customer demands, improving customer satisfaction, and tackling complaints of ticket racketeering, has increased the number of train services from four to six from Monday to Friday when demand tends to peak on its AKTS route.”
The NRC also noted that similar trends had been observed on the Lagos-Ibadan, Warri-Itakpe, and Port Harcourt-Aba routes, with efforts already underway to enhance services along these routes as well.
The acting MD assured Nigerians of the increased presence of NRC senior management across all train service routes to drive continuous efficiency and tackle the issue of ticket racketeering head-on.
“Our valued customers are encouraged to use NRC ticket platforms online to take advantage of the increased services and avoid patronising ticket racketeers.
“Additional information can be obtained from the NRC website, www.nrc.gov.ng,” it stated.
The expanded services on the Abuja-Kaduna route, it said, followed similar enhancements on the Lagos-Ibadan route, which now includes additional trips on Fridays and Saturdays to accommodate increasing demand.
Railway
Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route
Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced the introduction of additional train trips on its Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS) route, exclusively for Fridays and Saturdays.
This initiative increases weekend trips from two to three, offering commuters greater travel flexibility.
The announcement, made via the NRC’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, revealed that the new Lagos-to-Ibadan trip will depart at 1:40 pm, complementing the existing schedules of 7:45 am and 4:00 pm.
For the Ibadan-to-Lagos route, the additional trip is set for 10:50 am, joining the regular departures at 8:00 am and 4:30 pm.
READ ALSO:
- Belgium University offers scholarship up to €12,000 for Master’s students
- NNPCL to deliver 12 CNG stations, LNG mini plants
- How to stay focused in marriage, avoid divorce – Ironkwe
“Catch our extra Friday & Saturday train trips on LAGOS – IBADAN TRAIN SERVICE (LITS).
“LAGOS to IBADAN:
“•Times: 7:45am, 1:40pm, 4:00pm
“IBADAN to LAGOS:
“•Times: 8:00am, 10:50am, 4:30pm,” NRC’s tweet read in part.
This tweet by the Nigerian Railway Corporation further noted that the new schedule complements the existing Sunday-to-Thursday trips, which remain unchanged with departure times at 8:00 am and 4:00 pm from both Lagos and Ibadan.
This move by the NRC to expand the schedule is aimed at accommodating increased demand, particularly during weekends, and providing greater flexibility for commuters traveling between Lagos and Ibadan.
The move is expected to ease travel pressures and improve convenience for passengers on one of Nigeria’s busiest rail routes.
Travelers are encouraged to take advantage of the additional services and book tickets early via the e-ticketing website. to secure their spots, especially as the Lagos-Ibadan rail route continues to grow in popularity.
Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route
Railway
Nigeria gets $350m AfDB facility for Kano-Maradi rail project
Nigeria gets $350m AfDB facility for Kano-Maradi rail project
The Federal Government of Nigeria has secured $350 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to fund the construction of the Kano-Maradi rail project, which will connect Kano to Maradi in Niger Republic.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport, Senator Adamu Aliero, made this disclosure on Monday during an oversight visit to the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) headquarters in Lagos, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Aliero stated that the Kano-Maradi rail project is part of the government’s broader efforts to modernize Nigeria’s railway network and enhance regional trade links.
READ ALSO:
- Ballon d’Or: Ademola Lookman ranked 14th best player ahead of Saka, Palmer
- I was bundled to police station, detained for 2 hours – Bolt driver assaulted by lawmaker (VIDEO)
- Gunmen abduct rector of Catholic Seminary in Edo
“The Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, Sen. Adamu Aliero, says the African Development Bank has released $350 million to the Federal Government for construction of a rail line from Kano to Maradi,” the NAN report read in part.
He also highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to China focused on finalizing negotiations for 85% of the financing needed to upgrade and rehabilitate the nation’s rail infrastructure.
Aliero disclosed that the supplementary budget recently passed by the National Assembly allocated over N530 billion as counterpart funding for these modernization efforts. The remaining 85% of the funds will be sourced from institutions such as China Exim Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and AfDB.
Nigeria gets $350m AfDB facility for Kano-Maradi rail project
-
International2 days agoBelgium University offers scholarship up to €12,000 for Master’s students
-
Railway2 days agoNigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route
-
International2 days agoUK announces 45,000 seasonal worker visas for 2025
-
Business3 days agoFinally, marketers, Dangote refinery agree on direct fuel supply
-
International2 days agoSaudi crown prince says Israel committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza
-
Education1 day ago12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools
-
metro3 days agoNJC dispels death rumours of two judges that affirmed Tinubu’s election
-
Business2 days agoTop 5 crypto apps that work with Nigerian Bank accounts