Tag: NRC

The Federal Government earmarked N8.52 billion to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in this year’s budget to buy trains (locomotives, coaches and wagons), The Nation has learnt.

The allocation is in this year’s budget current before the National Assembly.

This is part of the N39.18 billion appropriated by the Federal Government to the nation’s oldest public corporation in the Bill sent to the National Assembly for approval.

A breakdown of the budget indicated that the NRC intends to spend N2.79 billion on rehabilitation/repairs of old narrow gauge railway tracks this year.

It has budgeted N2.7 billion on the rehabilitation/repair of its headquarters and other office buildings across the country in the course of the year.

Read Also: NRC announces special train service ahead Yuletide

According to the budget proposal, the NRC is also projected to spend N2 billion on diesel for the rail power cars and locomotives and N1 billion to buy spare parts, including lubricants for its locomotives, coaches and wagons in the year.

It will spend another N1.68 billion on the procurement and rehabilitation of locomotives and rolling stocks for its trains. The project was marked as “ongoing” in the budget proposal forwarded to the National Assembly.

The document shows the NRC will expend N1.19 billion on rehabilitation of the narrow-gauge track from Minna to Baro with a spur (extension) to the Baro River port.

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.

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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.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) made N1.69billion in revenue from passengers in the second quarter of 2024, a 53.14 percent increase, compared to the N1.10billion recorded in the same period in 2023, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has disclosed.

According to the report, a total of 689,263 passengers travelled by rail in Q2, representing a growth rate of 45.38 per cent compared to 474,117 passengers in the corresponding quarter of 2023.

The volume of cargo transported by rail also witnessed a significant increase, as 143,759 tons was moved in Q2 2024, from 56,936 tons in Q2 2023.

Additionally, the Nigerian Railway Corporation reported a volume of 5,940 tons of goods transported through pipelines in Q2 2024, an increase from the 2,856 tons recorded in the same period of the previous year.

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Revenue from goods conveyed by rail stood at N537.36m in Q2 2024, a remarkable increase of 206.68 per cent compared to N175.22m in Q2 2023. The movement of goods through pipelines also contributed to revenue generation, with N42.08m collected in Q2 2024, compared to N12.81million in Q2 2023.

Other revenue receipts amounted to N994.68million in Q2 2024, representing a staggering increase of 5,206.68 per cent from the N18.74m recorded in the corresponding period of last year.

In the first quarter of 2024, Nigeria spent more on servicing the debt incurred for building its railways than the revenue generated by its railway system. The country spent 2,470 per cent more on railway debt servicing than it made from revenue from rail services in the first quarter of 2024.

Expresses satisfaction on the FG’s investment on rail development

Chairman of the House Committee on Land Transport, Blessing Onuh, has called for the immediate unbundling of the Nigerian Railway Corporation to encourage the deepening of investment in the train sub-sector.

Onuh, daughter of the former Senate President Senator David Mark, who is representing the Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency, said this yesterday, during the committee’s tour of the facilities of the corporation on the Lagos corridor.

Onuh, who acknowledged the amendment to the NRC law, said the unbundling of the nation’s oldest public corporation remains the only stumbling block to fully deregulate the rail sector and encourage private investors to come in and play their part in development of the sub-sector.

She said the bill to unbundle the corporation will soon come up for the second reading and “this is vital to allow for public-private partnership needed for the development of the rail sector. The unbundling will allow people to come in and develop the rail sector.

She said she was happy at the level of things she and her committee met on ground from Lagos to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, from the various modern stations to the modern rolling stocks, adding that she will be happy now as a Nigerian to board the train as a means of commuting around the country.

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Speaking on the committee’s impression during the visit, Onuh said they were taken through the various units of train operations by the NRC Managing Director, Engr Fidet Okhiria and other management team, adding that they were taken through the maintenance processes to the Alex Ekwueme Control Tower, before boarding one of the standard train at the Mobolaji Johnson Train Station for a trip on the standard gauge to Ibadan.

She said the team made a stopover at the Kajola Wagon Assembly Plant (KWAP), where the committee was informed that the facility was one of the corporate social responsibility contributions by the Chinese contractors to the Nigerian government.

She expressed happiness that the nation has the capacity to supply wagons and other railway spare parts and other components to the West Africa sub-region and indeed the entire continent from the Kajola plant.

Okhiria said the central control centre is not yet activated due to unstable power supply, adding that efforts are on to develop a stable energy source as well as a back-up energy, to enable the control centre monitor everything happening on the corridor.

When fully on stream, the control centre will not only monitor activities on the corridor, but also integrate other stations being developed on the Red Line, by the Lagos State Government.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria has said that the rising cost of diesel and security challenges along some corridors were affecting train operations in Nigeria.

This was as he said that, the much-awaited Kaduna-Kano train service will commence operations in the first quarter of 2024.

The MD disclosed this during an inspection at the Rigasa train station, Kaduna following recent cases of vandalization on the Abuja-Kaduna corridor.

He said, “The Kaduna-Kano train is coming up, the track has gotten to Makarfi Local Government Area from Kano and we are hoping that by early next year, people will be able to arrive from Abuja to Kano.”

The MD however lamented how the rising cost of diesel and insecurity is hindering train operations.

He said: “When we started, the patronage was high but after the incident in March 2023, things stepped down. We were running 10 trains then but after the incident and also because of the rising cost of diesel, we had to limit the number of trains.

“At the time we started, diesel was between N230 to N280 per litre, it now costs between N1,000 to N2,000 depending on the supplier and because rail is for the people, the government decided to maintain the price so that people from what the government is providing.”

On vandalism, he said: “The federal government is taking measures to further secure the train and other components. We are on top of the insecurity situation, we are in talking with the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies to further provide more security for our customers because many people ride the train and also against incessant removal of sleeper on the track.”

Read Also: NRC blames Abuja-Kaduna train derailment on track vandalism

“Security is a top priority because our trains also carry goods, for instance, we are carrying pipelines from Itakpe in Warri, and we have started carrying containers from Lagos to Kaduna, Lagos to Idah and Lagos to Kano, so be general surveillance on all stations. We will continue to liaise with security agencies to ensure rail is taken seriously, as right now, we provide air surveillance on the Abuja-Kaduna train and sooner or later, it will be extended to other parts.”

He hoped that shortly, the corporation would deploy technology to monitor the train and the tracks for mobile phones as a measure to address vandalisation across the country.

On ticket racketeering, the MD noted that since the introduction of the e-ticket, cases of racketeering have been reduced to the barest minimum. “We have tried to limit staff contact with customers by ensuring they buy their tickets online and there are equipment who check customers in and out of the stations.”

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has explained why its train on the Abuja-Kaduna route derailed on Wednesday.

The corporation said the latest incident was due to a technical hitch the train experienced at Asham Railway Station in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

It blamed the technical hitch on vandals who were said to have removed the track-fastening clips.

Following the incident, the first train from Kaduna (Rigasa), which was scheduled for 8 a.m, was cancelled yesterday.

Barely two weeks ago, a train, which departed Rigasa in Kaduna State at 8 a.m with 685 passengers and crew onboard, derailed at Jere station.

In a statement by its Deputy Director of Public Relations, Yakub Mahmood, the NRC said the passengers on board were safely returned to Abuja.

The statement reads: “This evening (Wednesday), the management of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) experienced train technical hitch in our operation at Asham Railway Station in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

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“The passengers on board were safely returned to Abuja (Idu). Meanwhile, their tickets remain valid for a subsequent journey within two weeks.

“This minor hitch is attributed to the removal of track-fastening clips by vandals.

“However, the NRC management remains resolute towards ensuring the safety of our valued passengers in the entire system.”

It added: “For operational reasons, the first train from Kaduna (Rigasa) scheduled for 08.00 hours (8 a.m.), will be cancelled on Thursday, June 6, 2024 only, while all other train services will run as scheduled.

“The NRC management deeply regrets the inconveniences that this technical hitch might have caused our esteemed passengers.”

The managing director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Freeborn Okhiria, has informed the House of Representatives Committee on Land Transport that the corporation was fighting a big battle with vandals who are out to sabotage its efforts.

Speaking when the committee began an investigation into the rampant vandalisation of Nigeria’s Railway tracks and other assets of the Corporation in many parts of the country, Okhiria said the issue of vandalisation has been a major problem for the corporation.

He said: “It’s a serious problem for us. It’s a big battle we are fighting with the real vandalisation. There are areas our staff cannot get to, especially on the Kabba-Kaduna axis.”

He disclosed that the Minister of Transport has inaugurated a committee that is presently going around the country to ascertain the volume and value of the assets of the Corporation across the country.

He said: “In order for the Railway to protect what is under its care, we made an advert that, no scrap is on sale except for one company, CAM, and any vehicle seen on the road, should be stopped and arrested.

“And recently, we started moving from Kano to Lagos and because of the fear, we stopped at Ilorin overnight. We set staff to monitor the track from Offa to Ilorin, the track was vandalized. Luckily, the people were arrested.”

Speaking on the arrest of its officials in Maiduguri, he explained that what happened in Maiduguri was a result of a communication gap leading to the allegations and detention of their officials by security agencies which he said was later resolved.

He said the Joint Task Force was duly informed about the plan to move the coaches since September through a letter addressed to the Theater Commander.

According to him, it was routine work as coaches are constantly moved to locations where they are needed saying, the coaches in Maiduguri were being taken to the NRC’s workshop in Jos when they were intercepted.

He said: “After this incident, we have moved coaches and we are still going to move coaches. It’s a federal establishment. We don’t seek permission from the states to move something.

“Ordinarily, we involve our police who protect our tracks and who provide security for the movement. They were duly informed and we also duly informed the Area Commander in that area.

“But, when they stopped it, we have to react. After this, we have moved other rolling stocks to other places. It’s an internal arrangement to move coaches.

“Even now, we are to move coaches from Lagos to Port Harcourt. So, it’s within Nigeria Railway’s ambit to move things to places. That’s what we call balancing stocks.

“So, the three trucks that were arrested were in cooperation with the NSCDC and our police command that are working with their headquarters. What happened the day before yesterday at Ilorin, the CP was giving instructions to the Area Commander in Ibadan to go to Ilorin.

“So, as to the quantity of the scraps, I will say here that, the Ministry under the Minister has set up a committee made up of seven men, with a director in the ministry heading the team to sort out what is scrap and what is usable and that committee has been inaugurated and they are working.

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“And today, I cannot State how many sleepers or rails are scarp because until that committee finishes their job, nobody can categorically say about the volume of scraps.”

The chairman of the committee, Blessing Onuh (APC, Benue) said the investigation was prompted by the incident regarding the movement of Coaches from Maiduguri to Jos which sparked speculations about the alleged stealing of NRC’s assets across the country.

She said Nigerians are worried about the state of assets of the NRC especially as regards the safety of the tracks amidst incidences of vandalisation of the tracks sleepers which were intercepted in many parts of the country.

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, has said commercial operations may begin on the Aba-Port Harcourt end of the Eastern Narrow Gauge by the end of this month.

 Okhiria’s assurance ended speculations that the Federal Government and the NRC might have abandoned the Eastern Narrow Gauge.

 Speaking with our correspondent on phone in Lagos, the NRC boss said the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri line, called the Eastern Line, was being rehabilitated in phases.

 He assured Nigerians that the Aba-Port-Harcourt Train Service (APTS), which he said was ready, would begin commercial operation as soon as signals and communication on the corridor was restored.

 Okhiria said: “We are working in phases. They (contractors) have laid the track up to Aba, but we are so anxious to commence operation. The minister (of Transportation) has directed us to come and see the extent of work so that we can commence operation.

 “We have confirmed that the main track has been restored.

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 “As we speak, we can put locomotives and wagons on the track from Port Harcourt to Aba. We are working hard to ensure that very soon the operations will start. Signaling and communication on the route would also be completely restored very soon.”

 The NRC boss announced that the commercial operation on the Lagos-Kano Express Train Service that was earlier suspended as a result of security breaches would resume in the first quarter of the year.

 He said the NRC was working round the clock to restore the two old narrow gauge tracks because of their economic viability and relevance to national integration.

 The Eastern Line – from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri – has 1,884 kilometre tracks; the second national narrow gauge corridor of the corporation is being rehabilitated through direct funding from the Federal Ministry of Transportation allocation.

 Okhiria said he and other top management officials of the corporation had toured the entire stretch of the corridor to see the scope of work already covered.

The NRC boss said he was certain that commercial operations would begin on the route in the next few days.

 NRC’s Mechanical Director Jerry Oche confirmed to The Nation that rolling stocks for Aba-Port Harcourt Train Services would be ready in a matter of days.

 Oche, accompanied by the District Manager, Mr. Mohammed M. Ibrahim, inspected the vehicles for the services and ordered an immediate commencement of repair works so that passengers from this part of the country would begin to enjoy train services.

 Rail coaches undergoing immediate repairs are five: SPs 1, SPA 1, DRC, and two BVAs.

 The mechanical director said some of the vehicles in Enugu would be moved to Aba to assist in receiving the anticipated overflow of passengers and goods, which are usually experienced on the route.

 Besides the old Eastern route of the railway, a number of new lines, he said, were being opened and would become operational in the next few weeks.