BY Bolanle Olabimtan
Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, says the passenger traffic on Abuja-Kaduna railway has increased from 1,000 to 3,700.
He said the number of train users rose to 3,700 daily from its carrying capacity of 1,000 people owing to the rise of kidnapping and other security challenges on Abuja-Kaduna road.
“The actual number of passengers that the service can take for the sitting capacity is about 1,000 plus, but we are carrying 3,700 people daily,” he said
“The reason why we allowed standing on the Abuja-Kaduna train is the insecurity that has made it unbearable to insist on sitting.”
Amaechi also said more coaches will be added to the route to reduce the number of passengers standing inside the train.
“But once we get the next 10 coaches we are sending to Abuja-Kaduna, the situation where passengers stand inside our coaches will be reduced. Although it will not solve the problem of the 3,700 passengers, at least it will reduce the number of those who stand.” he said.
The minister said a test-run and free rides would commence on Lagos-Ibadan railway service in December.
He asked the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, to complete the minor stations on Lagos-Ibadan railway before November 25.
“If I spend sleepless nights to sign approvals for you, I don’t want to hear you use rain as an excuse why you can’t deliver your job as engineers,” the minister said.
Amaechi also said the federal government would lay the foundation for the Kajola factory in Ogun state on November 8.
He said locomotives, wagons and coaches would be constructed in the Kajola factory by Chinese firms at no cost to Nigeria.
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