Nigeria’s rail sector must move beyond its narrow view of infrastructure and embrace people-centred service capable of transforming lives, Associate Professor of Marketing at Keele Business School, United Kingdom, Dr Emmanuel Mogaji has said.

Mogaji, in an interview with The Guardian, said that one of the most significant gaps in the country’s rail system was the absence of a strong service mindset.

He noted that passenger rail was still largely treated as a physical asset, rather than a social and economic service designed to enhance customer experience and promote inclusion.

Drawing from his research, he explained that many rail operators are not sufficiently financially motivated to improve service delivery because demand remained relatively inelastic.

According to him, the responsibility to do good should not rest solely on regulation or external enforcement.

Instead, rail operators, Mogaji said, must deliberately embed service excellence into their operations, recognising that better customer experience ultimately strengthens public trust and long-term sustainability.

Mogaji canvassed the urgent need for improvements in customer service standards across the rail network, particularly in ways that address the needs of vulnerable and underserved groups.

He further called for the integration of assistive technologies to support passengers with disabilities, as well as broader investments in digital infrastructure.

He added: “These investments should include accessible and user-friendly websites, functional mobile applications, and efficient mobile ticketing systems that make rail travel more seamless, transparent, and inclusive.”

Such digital tools, he argued, are no longer optional, but essential to improving overall service quality in a modern transport system.