NRC ready for cargo train services, says Opeifa

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation(NRC) Dr Kayode Opeifa has declared that the Western district is ready for cargo train movement between Lagos and Kano on the narrow and gauge.

Opeifa made this known at Dugbe on Tuesday, the Ibadan Narrow Gauge Train Station after inspecting Moniya Freight Park, in Ibadan, Oyo State, during the tour of operations on the Western Line, as part of his inspection tour of all districts which commenced on Friday.

He said: “The essence of this tour is to enable us to access our readiness to handle the cargo side of our business as business and logistics facilitator. We are happy with the extent of what we have seen and we can comfortably say we are ready to move any manner of cargo for any of our customers.”

Opeifa had commenced the tour from the Mobolaji Johnson Train Station at Ebute Metta, where he inspected the facilities available for passengers’ convenience.

At his next stop at Omi Adio, Opeifa inspected the facility being put in place to establish another cargo park at Omi Adio. He directed the acquisition of more land around the proposed dry port area to provide for anticipated business the dry port would be processing when the business finally comes on stream.

Opeifa was joined on the inspection at the Ladoke Akintola Train Station, Omi Adio, by the Director General of Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission) Dr. Seye Oyeleye, who expressed the readiness to work with the Corporation to reactivate the narrow gauges within some of the states in the Southwest for mass transportation.

The inspection took Opeifa and his management team to the Obafemi Awolowo Train Station, Moniya and the Moniya Cargo Park, where he inspected the readiness of the port to facilitate cargo business.

He also inspected the Western District Headquarters at Dugbe, Ibadan, where he pledged and charged the workers to double their effort and improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the railway.