Nationwide rail services under review, says NRC boss

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, has announced that the Corporation has begun a comprehensive review and repositioning of national rail services across the country.

According to Opeifa, the exercise will cover the Abuja–Kaduna Train Service, Lagos–Ibadan Train Service, Warri–Itakpe Train Service, and the Port Harcourt–Aba Train Service, with the aim of improving efficiency, passenger experience, and overall safety.

He made the disclosure on Sunday during a world press briefing in Abuja, where he also addressed a recent controversy involving the media. At the event, Dr. Opeifa publicly apologized to the Nigerian press for verbally assaulting Comrade Ladi Bala, a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) journalist and immediate past president of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ).

He explained that the Corporation is also working towards the full reactivation of the Lagos-Kano-Baro Narrow gauge line for increased freight and cargo movement, make available for States to rail on, and improve national mobility for agricultural products.

Other ongoing initiatives include: repairing and refurbishing all abandoned locomotives, engines and coaches for repurposing; Railing with States to take advantage of the extensive under utilise National rail lines which are currently under-utilized and wasting, to provide rail infrastructure to states where the lines passes through for immediate state mass transit program, such as Lagos State Red Line, Plateau State ‘Railing on the Plateau’ and Niger State (massive agricultural product movement) are currently taking advantage of this or is at an advanced stage.

Through its ‘Freight Revolution by Rail’, he pledged the Corporation’s resolve to take advantage of Narrow Gauge and Standard Gauge access to the Lagos Port Complex to deepen trade between the Northern and Southern Nigeria. Increasing national productivity and GDP, reduce cost of goods from reduced transportation cost and less pressure on our roads.

Through the Track Access Programme/Policy, he unveiled the Corporation’s plan to deepen Public sector participation in rail operations through TAP, a policy that allows operation license holders to take advantage of the expansive national rail assets to run mass transit and freight. The Lagos State LAMATA Red line (Mass transit) and CCECC Nigeria Limited (freight) are already operating this programme.

He further disclosed that the Corporation has commenced the process of Track restoration, recovery and safety audit; work with the RHIF to produce a plan for the completion of all ongoing rail projects for national development; on the short term, deepen ongoing reforms towards revitalisation, safety reinforcements, and service reliability; commence full implementation of all institutional reforms, restructuring and repositioning in line with global practices; working with the FMOT to launch the New NRC and the reformed National Rail System as well as working with the FMOT to develop a new National Strategic Rail Development Plan.

He said: “on NRC mandates and reforms, permit me also to briefly highlight that while the Asham accident was an unfortunate distraction, our mandate at NRC remains clear. In the last seven months, we have been repositioning this 127-year-old institution through reforms and initiatives aligned with the present administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda on Transportation.