Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has ruled out imminent resumption of passenger train services until when it is appropriate to do so on the back of the coronavirus pandemic.
The minister was last weekend reacting to public concerns from train passengers, especially on the Abuja-Kaduna route, as well as the Lagos-Ogun route as to when train services would resume.
From his verified twitter handle @ChibuikeAmaechi last Saturday, the minister of said: “we’re not in a hurry to start train operations because of the danger of Covid19 spread. When we start, all health and safety protocols must apply. You will not enter a train if you don’t adhere to our rules. The train will not move if passengers do not comply’’.
The minister said the federal government was being careful not to make the train operation an instrument for the spread of Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
He added that when the government eventually reopens railway operations, commuters would be made to fully comply with the health protocols of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) had announced the suspension of train services in the wake of the outbreak in the country in March.
