The newly appointed chairman of Board of Directors, Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje stated this during an interactive session with news men after an experiential train ride from Ebute-Metta Junction to Ikeja in Lagos.
“We intend to focus our attention on the full rehabilitation of the eastern rail lines and that will commence after we have increased the frequency of our traffic on the already rehabilitated lines. We also intend to open up new rail lines and to start the construction of standard gauge lines which is our next innovation.
Already, about nineteen stations have been identified for that purpose,” he said.
Nigeria Railway has been operating on the narrow gauge lines that do not allow for optimum speed. This upgrade to wider standard gauge lines will allow for more speed efficiency.
Baraje who was on his first official visit to the railway headquarters as the new chairman of the Board of Directors commended the management of the corporation on their rehabilitation efforts as he pledged that his team will consolidate on the ground works already done.
“After all the places we have visited and what we have seen, the impression that we have is that a lot of work has been done and we intend to build upon that ground work already done by the Managing Director, Engr. Adeseyi Sijuade and his team. We would work with him to sustain the transformation agenda of the present administration in revitalizing the railway,” he said.
Earlier he and his team embarked on an inspection tour of the different facilities of the corporation, where he visited the local workshop, where the wheel-less machines are maintained, the coaches and wagons maintenance workshop, the training school and the railway clinic.
On his assessment, he said that what he saw showed that there has been high level of decay because of the long years of neglect.
“After over 25 years of neglect, one cannot expect anything less. But the government has renewed its commitment to bringing back the railway and we have been seeing positive actions in that regard. That shall continue until the railway will be fully revitalized,” he said.
He further disclosed that the corporation’s next focus would be on the full revival of the eastern axis after increasing the regular traffic on the already rehabilitated western lines. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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