By Gift Olivia Samuel, The Sight News
Ibadan: Following the upsurge of passengers at the Abuja-Kaduna railway line, the Federal government has directed the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), to move two more coaches to the rail line to reduce pressure.
The Abuja-Kaduna rail line has in recent times witnessed high influx of passengers who have decided to use the trains rather than road, a decision which many say could be connected to the rampant kidnapping on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway.
The Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi who gave this directive on Monday in Ibadan, at the routine inspection of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, disclosed that the two caoches will be taken from the Itakpe-Warri line which has less passenger movement.
Amaechi, noted that the long queues at the Abuja-Kaduna line is because the coaches are not enough, adding that people are standing and they ought not to stand.
“When we saw the problem in Abuja-Kaduna, today, I told the Managing Director to move two coaches from Itakpe-Warri because there are not too many passengers there because it heads to no where. Until there is a connection between Itakpe to Lokoja and Itakpe to Abuja, the coaches will just be there.
“It will be difficult to manage the standing in Abuja-Kaduna because the upsurge is high, even if you put more coaches”, he remarked.
On the long term plan to manage the situation at the Abuja-Kaduna line, the Minister disclosed that the Federal government is going to China to inspect the new coaches and locomotives that it is buying for Lagos to Ibadan line.
“We may be under pressure to borrow from Lagos to Ibadan and put on the Kaduna-Abuja. If we do that, that will reduce the pressure.
“The moment there are more coaches and locomotives, the pressure will die down”, he said.
