Managing Director, Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Adeseyi Sijuade, during an interview with journalists over the weekend, said the corporation was ready to introduce air conditioned trains next year.
Sijuade made this known at the commencement of the inter-city passengers’ service from Lagos to Kano.
“By 2013 we plan to introduce the new modern air-conditioned coaches on the track and there would be no cause for alarm in terms of security as the corporation would ensure safety of lives and properties of customers,” he said.
He revealed that the sum of N24.3 billion was spent to rehabilitate NRC track from Lagos to Kano.
“The good news I can tell you is that those projects were actually completed within the budget, no cost for variation or for adding sum of reviewing of anything they have done. We have just completed 30 hours journey from Lagos by rail down to Kano, passing all the major cities, state capitals between Lagos and Kano” he said.
Sijuade guaranteed Nigerians that the railway was back on track, saying they had about two or three years of rehabilitation going on between CC and Costain, noting that it was a historic milestone in the development in the Nigeria Railway.
“This is very symbolic, symbolic in the sense that from now on we will see very significant migration passengers from roads to rail, we have quite a lot of customers already showing interest to patronise the rail system of transportation to move their goods from Apapa, flour mills cement companies, Total petroleum company amongst others,” he stated.
He further stated that the service would start from weekly service from Lagos to Kano, departing Iddo Terminal by 9 a.m. every Friday, and also going to leave Kano station at 9 a.m. every Monday.