TheCable

Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, has directed the Abuja-Kaduna train service (AKTS) to resume operations on Saturday.

Amaechi gave the directive on Friday, after inspecting repairs on the rail tracks between Rijana and Dutse along the Abuja-Kaduna route.

The development comes after two reported attacks on rail tracks along the Abuja-Kaduna route.

While assuring citizens of the federal government’s commitment to ensuring the safety of passengers along the route, he added that security operatives will be deployed along the tracks.

“I think what is significant is that the repair was done by our own Nigerian engineers and completed in record time,” he said.

“By tomorrow, we expect to run the first train. That is why I had to come here myself physically to be present here.

“We want to assure the public that beyond the physical presence of police and deployment of the military along this track, I just told the MD to get us a rail bus that will be on patrol regularly on the track so that we can see what is going to happen even before the train takes off.

“That will be the measure we will put in place until we put a digital system in place. And it will be end to end from Abuja to Kaduna and it will the same thing for Lagos to Ibadan.”

According to Amaechi, the government is making plans to procure a digital security system which will be installed on the tracks.

“It had gone to cabinet two weeks ago and it was returned. So, we will re-present it to cabinet to ensure that we get approval, then we can install the digital security network,” he said.

”The essence of the digital security system is to enable us know when there is an impact on the rail. It has a sensor; when people walk across the rail we will be able to know.

”We will get the police to be involved so that they will be here before we install the security system.”