NRC

NRC Records 2,181,950 Passengers Traffic on South West Routes in two years 

ZAINAB JUNAID 

Following a continuous increase in awareness and free rides introduced by the Federal Government to encourage more passengers on train routes, the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, has successfully recorded high passenger traffic of 2,181,950 on its South West Routes in two years. 

A breakdown – the Corporation recorded a total of 693,226 Passengers travelling on the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge train between January 2021 and  December 2022. 173,488 passengers in 2021 and 519,738 in 2022.

While on Lagos – Ijoko in Ogun State, the corporation had a traffic record of 524,093 passengers on the Mass Transit train in 2021 and 964,631 passengers in 2022.

District Manager, NRC, Mr. Augustin Arisa, District Manager, for the Corporation disclosed this in Lagos, adding that the increase in number of passengers in 2022 was due to the awareness and free rides organised by the Federal Government towards the end of 2021 through first week of January 2022.

Arisa said the corporation runs four trips daily from Lagos to Ijoko in order to meet up target. Two trips in the morning between 6.30 a.m. and 7.00 a.m., and another two trips between 5.30pm and 6.00 respectively.

To him, “Standard Gauge fare from Lagos to Ibadan (Mobolaji Johnson, Ebute -Meta to Obafemi Awolowo Station in Moniya) cost N9,000 for executive class; N6,500 on Business class; N3,600 for standard class and N3,000 for standard class for minors. 

“From Lagos to Abeokuta (Mobolaji Johnson Ebute-Meta to Prof. Wole Soyinka Station in Abeokuta) ticket fare is N6,000 for executive class, N4,500 on business class; N3,000 for standard and minor N2,000.

“From Abeokuta to Ibadan the standard gauge fare is N3000 for executive, N2,000 for business class and N1,000 for standard class.”

The corporation would continue to create more awareness on its services, adding that various social media platforms have been adopted to create awareness for the public. “Besides movement of goods will soon commence on Standard Gauge,” he said. 

However, on security level of the route, Arisa noted that the corporation had put in place measures to tackle any form of vandalism on NRC properties by hoodlums and further urged miscreant to steer clear of Federal Government properties which was constructed for the benefits of the citizens.