The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says it is expecting 10 new coaches for the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge in July to increase the number of its daily trips.
The Managing Director of the corporation, Mr Fidet Okhiria, made the disclosure in Abuja on Tuesday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“I am happy to announce that we are expecting some coaches very soon. We have already ordered 10 and hopefully we will order another seven.
“When they come there will be train at least every one hour, so that people will programme themselves.
“We are targeting June or July to get the new coaches, “ he said.
On challenges of overloading and alleged extortion by some NRC officials, he confirmed that four officers had so far been arrested and would soon be sanctioned.
The NRC boss said that efforts were being made to keep the coaches clean for comfort of passengers.
“Four persons have been caught collecting money from passengers and were sanctioned. We have also provided small Naira denominations to avoid issue of change at train stations.
“So, no official at the train stations will say that there is no change; passengers should not accept that.
“We have an arrangement with a third party for cleaning of coaches and I am going to take the company on that because if we are getting reports of them not doing their work, they will not be paid,’’ he said.
Okhiria however, said that with the reopening of the Abuja Airport, the train would only run two trips week days and one weekend trip.
“We work extra hard to keep those three trips and we have just one rail. We do not operate trains like that.
“We will go back to twice a day trips from next week and on Sunday we will run one trip,’’ he said. (NAN)