THE Lagos-Ibadan speed train will roll out on December 7, the Nigeria Railway Corporation Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, has said.
Speaking exclusively with our correspondent in his office in Ebute Meta, Lagos, Okhiria, an engineer, said the corporation would begin operation on the $1.6 billion double track with a Diesel Multiple Unit, (DMU), with more rolling stocks slated to be injected as the corridor stabilises.
He said the DMU would depart Ibadan in the morning for Lagos and to Ibadan in the evening.
The NRC chief, who said the train would only stop in Ibadan, Abeokuta and Lagos for now, added that more stations will be included as the stations are delivered.
He said the corporation is still trying to fine-tune everything pertaining to the fare, adding that a final decision regarding the fare would be decided at a meeting next Monday.
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“We are concerned at ensuring that the fare is moderate because the government must give back to Nigerians. The rail is one of the dividends of democracy and Nigerians must enjoy the benefit of allowing government work for them,” Okhiria said.
He said soon Nigerians would see the benefit of a reliable, functional and convenient train service, as the Lagos-Ibadan speed train will change the transportation narrative in the country.
Okhiria, who again pleaded for the understanding of Nigerians on the breakdowns experienced on the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor, said the faulty locomotive had been repaired and services had been restored.
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