The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) will today begin a three-month free service on the first section of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge which was test-run from Lagos to Abeokuta on Friday.
Dignitaries embarked on the train ride from Iju in Lagos to Abeokuta which was about 61 kilometers of the entire 156-kilometer stretch of the project.
The train took off from Kilometer 21 and stopped at Kilometer 82 in Laderin, Abeokuta.
In the train were the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state, the paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, Managing Director of the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), Jiang Yigao, Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Fidet Okhiria, among others.
The train which took off around 10:25 arrived Abeokuta after about two hours and were received by many dignitaries including the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.
Amaechi declared the occasion was not a commissioning but a test-run, saying as from today a three-month free train service would commence.
He said the train would run thrice daily; in the morning, afternoon and evening to enable people go to work in Lagos and return to Ogun state evening.
Amaechi urged Nigerians to re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari to continue his railway modernization project across the country. “We need your votes to take this train to Kano”, he said.
Nobel Laureate disclosed that the route of the modern railway project took part of his hunting grounds, adding that he however felt gratified that his hunting grounds
The literary icon warned against politicizing the project, saying he cares less which political party put up the project.
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