Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) last Monday commenced commercial passenger services on the newly constructed Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan standard gauge rail tracks with a distance of 156.5 kilometers.
The newly introduced service provides fully air conditioned train services in different categories.
According to trip schedules, passengers can leave Ibadan for Lagos at 8 am and return at 4 pm the same day.
“The newly introduced standard gauge trains have finally come to fruition as the service is run using newly acquired coaches and locomotives. It is fast, convenient, safe and relatively cheap. There is an option for everyone as the tickets are available in the economy and first class coach rates”, said Jerry Oche, Lagos railway district manager.
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According to him, “The journey time from Lagos to Ibadan is two and a half hours which makes more sense going by recent reports of traffic that has characterised Lagos to Ibadan road, due to ongoing road construction along that axis. Train services in Lagos are experiencing a new dawn and we are encouraging Nigerians to embrace this new service”.
All major rules and regulations guiding the trains remain, especially in the area of nose mask usage and hand washing practice are observed, which are measures in place to curb the spread of Covid-19 while on-board the train.
The passenger services is running while the various train stations being handled by the Chinese Civil Engineering & Construction Corporation (CCECC) are under various stages of completion.
