Engr. Sijuwade stated this at the official commissioning of the facilities that were received April, 2014 from the manufacturers.
The new facilities were commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan who was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo. The NRC MD explained that each of the three DMUs is made up of three trailer cars (coaches) and one motor car at each end, adding that this configuration eliminates shunting at the terminal stations, thereby reducing delays and journey time.
“The capacity of each trailer car is 72 seating and 108 standing, making a total of 540 passengers for the three cars. The DMU is powered by two sets of 1200HP cummins Diesel engine and one 166HP cummins generator for auxiliary power with fully automated doors centrally controlled and LED information display,” he said.
He said the DMUs will be deployed for mass transit in densely populated cities starting with Lagos, and the number of passengers on daily basis is expected to improve from the current 16,000 to 22,000. He also explained that the DMUs will free some locomotives so they can be used for freight services.
The passenger coaches he said will be deployed as first class coaches on long distance intercity train services starting with the Lagos to Kano service and this is expected to increase the traffic on Lagos-Kano to 7000 per week from the current 6000. While commissioning the facility, President Jonathan said the federal government is committed to revitalizing the railway transport sector to be at par with modern rail transport in other countries of the world so it can be an alternative means of transportation in Nigeria.
He also promised improved funding of the sector so it can be a critical component of the nation’s economy.
This administration, he said, “accords top priority to upgrading railways infrastructure across the country.
