Lagos- Kano train services which were stalled following a collapse of railway tracks in a Niger village are about to be restored, it was learnt yesterday.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has completed the repair work on the collapsed bridge while full passenger service is expected to be restored next week. Daily Trust reports that the Lagos-Kano passenger services as well as the freight movement of various items from Lagos to Kano was suspended following a washout of railway track in Niger State.
Prior to the repair of the section of the rail tracks, trains could not move goods from Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital beyond Kwara State. The half year statistics of passengers and goods from Lagos saw a sharp drop especially in freight movement. While 100 wagons and 4,000 tons of freight were moved in January 2017, the figure dropped to 20 wagons and 800 tons in June with the drop attributed to the bridge collapse.
About N100m is estimated to be lost during the period. However respite has come to the way of train passengers and the NRC as the repair work has been completed while movement of cargo items has since commenced. It was however learnt that the weekly express train service from Lagos to Kano would not resume until next week.
NRC’s Director of Operations, Mr. Niyi Ali confirmed to our correspondent that the dilapidated tracks have been restored. He said the train running Lagos to Kano was in Kano when the incident happened, saying it would move to Lagos on Monday to start normal operations especially the hugely patronized express train services. “The repair work has been completed. We have a full track now between Lagos and Kano,” he said.
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