The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) yesterday said it will soon begin the mass transit express passenger train service between Apapa in Lagos and Kajola in Ogun State on the standard gauge.
This comes on the heels of the Federal Government’s palliative measures to cushion the effect of the petroleum subsidy removal.
The NRC currently runs a 157-kilometre-long shuttle between Lagos and Ibadan on the standard gauge.
The Apapa-Kajola route, according to the corporation’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Mahmud Yakub, is the first inter-state mass transit shuttle of the NRC.
It will provide a more comfortable relief to passengers on the Mass Transit Train Service (MTTS), which the corporation currently runs on the narrow gauge.
Quoting NRC’s Director of Operation, the corporation’s spokesman, Akin Osinowo said the service is code-named Apapa Express.
Osinowo, who announced the new route on behalf of NRC Managing Director Fidet Okhiria, explained that the stopping stations for the new train service would be Mobolaji Johnson, Agege, Agbado, and Kajola, where passengers could board or disembark from the train.
The director of operation said the train service would reduce the hardship experienced by commuters, especially those plying the Apapa to Kajola route.
He urged passengers to always obtain their tickets at designated stations before boarding the train.
Also, the Lagos-Ibadan railway has conveyed over 1.33 million passengers in the last two years, according to The Nation.
A document by the media section of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria showed that the project has also created about 5,000 jobs each year in the local community and indirectly supported the employment of at least 20,000 individuals.
The Lagos-Ibadan project, which took off in June 2021 and was executed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Nigeria Limited, is the first modern double-track standard gauge railway in West Africa.
It serves as a crucial component of the ECOWAS’s “interconnectivity” railway network and represents the second phase of Nigeria’s railway modernisation project.
Being the flagship project of Sino-Nigerian practical cooperation, the Lagos-Ibadan railway adheres to Chinese railway standards and has achieved the fastest construction pace by the Chinese enterprise in West Africa, Chinese authorities have said.
“To date, it has safely transported over 1.33 million passengers. Recently, the railway introduced dedicated freight services, establishing a vital link between the port and rail, thus expediting the flow of import and export goods, alleviating port congestion, and contributing significantly to the growth of Nigeria’s largest port, the Lagos Apapa Port.
“It also plays a key role in promoting the development of export-oriented economies in the surrounding areas.
“Throughout the project’s construction and operational phases, a strong commitment to local engagement has resulted in the direct creation of a minimum of 5,000 employment opportunities within the local community, each year, and indirectly supporting the employment of at least 20,000 individuals.
“The Lagos-Ibadan railway project has also made substantial efforts in talent development, offering training in various roles related to engineering construction and railway operations, facilitating the transfer of professional expertise.
“CCECC has organised hundreds of training sessions to contribute to the cultivation of talent for Nigeria’s railway modernisation”, the document said.
