The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), in compliance with the Federal Government’s directive, yesterday announced a special end-of-year train service throughout the Christmas and New Year period.
A statement by the corporation’s Deputy Director Public Relations, Yakub Mahmood, said the end-of-year train service is part of government’s gesture at ensuring that Nigerians have an enjoyable Yuletide celebration.
But he did not say if the special service would be free, as it did last year when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration directed the NRC to run a free train service during the Yuletide to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
Though details of the take-off of the service have also not been released, it was learnt that the special train service would be offered on all the national train networks, especially the modern train service on which it has online payment services.
Mahmood said the dates and modalities for the special train service would be communicated to Nigerians ahead of the Yuletide.
The NRC has three standard gauge services: Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS), the Itakpe-Warri Train Service (IWTS), and Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS), besides two narrow gauge trunk lines – Lagos-Kano Train Service, called the Western Line, and the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Train Service, called the Eastern Line.
The corporation also offers mass transit train services on the two old narrow gauge corridors.
Last year, the NRC offered the free train ride from December 17, to January 14, this year. The service was later extended by one week, ending on January 21, 2024, to allow those who might have travelled out of their areas of domicile to return.
