In its gradual reintroduction of train passengers shuttle in the ongoing revamping of the rail sector, the North-Eastern District of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Monday test run a five-kilometre rail shuttle from Bauchi to Inkil along the Bauchi-Gombe rail line mainly for passengers and students on an excursion on the line.
The disclosure was made by the Railway District Manager of NRC, Mr Aliyu Mainasara, during the unveiling of the rail line services in Bauchi during which the RDM, management team and passengers were conveyed from the Bauchi station to Inkil Community and back to the main station in Bauchi.
While speaking at the occasion, Aliyu Mainasara pointed out that the Services will run from Monday to Saturday three times in a day with a token of N200 per trip from Bauchi station to Inkil Community stressing that each trip will be accompanied by security personnel to protect passengers and their belongings.
According to him, “The train has the capacity of conveying between 70 to 100 passengers with comforting facilities on each trip”.
The RDM however said that full services will commence on Monday, September 5, 2022, with daily and monthly schedules saying that the North-Eastern district had not run a single train in the last seven years due to challenges posed by insecurity and vandalization of its tracks.
The RDM stressed that “The initiative will accord the citizens and children to test the rail services because there are people who don’t have experience of rail services. With this, the children from schools would go for an excursion from Bauchi station to Inkil Community which is five kilometres from Bauchi station”.
He then assured that “By the end of this year, we will extend the services to Alkaleri local government area of the state up to Gombe state respectively.”
He also said that Engineers in the District are working on the tracks for the expansion of the scope of services to the Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state saying, “The moment we fixed the tracks up to Alkaleri, believe me, we will start to run our trains as well as Gombe in the District”.
The RDM then urged stakeholders to support the initiative of the North-Eastern District office of the Corporation with credible information to ensure effective surveillance and protection of the tracks.
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