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Abuja- Kaduna train services resume after eight months

- December 6, 2022

After an eight-month suspension, the Abuja-Kaduna train operation services finally resumed operations on Monday.

The train services were suspended on March 28, 2022, by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) after terrorists bombed the moving train, killed some passengers and abducted at least 60 passengers.

Prior to its resumption, Mu’azu Sambo, Minister of Transportation, had informed that the federal government had learned its lessons and had now put in place security measures to ensure the safety of passengers travelling the route.

It was gathered that there was a very strong security presence at the train stations, but passenger turnout is, however low. The first train service departed the Idu train station around 9:AM

The NRC management reiterated that as part of the new security measures, it is now mandatory for passengers to present their National Identity Number and valid Boarding Ticket before being allowed to board.

The Managing Director of NRC, Fidet Okhiria disclosed that the Federal Government lost about N113m due to non-operation of trains at the Abuja-Kaduna railway for over eight months

He also said many Nigerians also incurred some losses indirectly due to the halt of operations on the route. ”The last time we checked that was between the months of February to August. We have lost about N113 million. When the train was working, there were a lot of other businesses that were going on.

“There were people selling on the train, there were people selling around the stations, and there were people that had opened shops and people were patronising them because the trains were running.

So those were indirect benefit and cost that have been lost to the Nigerian economy,” he had explained

“More so, somebody who would have travelled from Kaduna to Abuja via train for some form of transaction and couldn’t make it because the trains were not running would have also lost something.

“The economic benefits are also lost, so we should not only look at the Naira and kobo that the railway would have been able to make from it, but include all other losses by Nigerians,” he added.

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