Share
Abdulazeez Abubakar
1 week ago
Overview
A call for more investment in NRC infrastructure
he NRC has modern trains running from Lagos to Ibadan, Warri to Itakpe, and Abuja to Kaduna. The sharp rise in railway patronage once again underscores the vital role that the NRC has started playing in the last two years, under the Renewed Hope Initiatives of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
The high demand which in many cases the corporation could not meet not only ignites the new confidence in the railway by Nigerians, but also underscores the urgent need for the federal government to scale up investments in locomotives, coaches and wagons to meet growing demands.
During festive seasons like Christmas, Easter, Sallah and national holidays, transportation demand typically spiral nationwide. Yet in recent years, the preference for train travel has sustained a rapid and positive growth due to its affordability, comfort and safety – key factors that road travel often fails to guarantee.
Passengers increasingly flock to NRC stations for inter-city train services that offer not only convenience but a respite from road traffic congestion, insecurity on highways and inflated transport fare by commercial road operators.
The Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge corridor, for instance operated near full capacity throughout the festive season, prompting the introduction of an additional trips to accommodate crowd overflow. The Abuja-Kaduna lines also recorded a significant jump in daily ridership, reflecting renewed public trust in the safety and punctuality of rail services.
Similarly, the Warri-ltakpe corridor saw enthusiastic turnouts from travellers connecting urban centres, towns and cities along the route, especially with added incentive of NRC’s seamless online booking system and improved customer experience at stations.
While the NRC management, under the leadership of Kayode Opeifa, continues to innovate and expand service delivery, the corporation is increasingly constrained by limited rolling stocks. Many routes operate with a lean fleet of locomotives and coaches/wagons, for passenger or cargo traffic, that are barely adequate to meet peak-time demand.
May times, available trains are forced to make extra trips or work overtime to accommodate high passenger volumes, a move that, while commendable, places operational strain on both staff and equipment.
https://thenationonlineng.net/a-call-for-more-investment-in-nrc-infrastructure/
