The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has refuted allegations by some passengers on board Lagos Mass Transit Train (LMTT) that the current tickets sold to each passenger comes with two different rates printed in front and stamped at the back of the tickets respectively.
Passengers on board daily narrow gauge Lagos Mass Transit Train (LMTT) from Kajola/Ijoko to Iddo and back had alleged that tickets issued to each passenger accros the ticket counters shows N300.00 in front instead of N700.00 stamped and paid per passenger to ticket cashiers at the Train Stations.
For instance, a passengers, Mr John Iguma said – “I entered a train from Ebute-Metta Junction and purchased at ticket with No. NGMTT 070037 dated July 6, 2023 and noticed the discrepancy in the N300 printed on the ticket and the N700.00 paid to the cashier immediately informed the ticket cashier who said that the actual cost of N700.00 was stamped at the back”.
Another passenger on board an Ijoko-Iddo bound mass transit train, Mrs Kehinde Ajodun narrated her experience saying, “ I purchased a ticket at Ijoko on Friday, July 21, 2023 and observed that the price printed on the ticket was N230.00 but I was told to pay N700.00 stamped in front of same ticket”.
But Mr. Eric Umezurike, a regular passenger wondered why the disrpancy in pricing saying, “When the ticket cost was reviewed upward from N460.00 to N700.00 in the first quarter of this year, the new N700.00 fare was boldly printed on new tickets issued each passenger adding that after a short period of time the ticket cashiers started issuing flat rate tickets with N300 printed in front of each ticket, stamped N700 at the back with date”
He averred that management of the corporation should be able to print enough new tickets instead of selling old tickets at the new N700.00 rate which could create opportunity for fraud.
But in a swift reaction to the allegation Deputy Director Public Relations Mr. Mahmood Yakub said that the corporation at any given time of change in pricing print enough stock of ticket for a long term.
He explained further that the N300.00 and N230.00 reflected on the tickets currently are tickets of the old stock but that the N700.00 stamped on the tickets shows the current cost of each ticket
The deputy director a said further that the old ticket stocks are serislized ,monitored and makes accountability easy adding that the resort to the use of old tickets was aimed at averting waste of stocks that are already piled-up.
Shippers Council seeks connection of Lekki deep seaport by Rail to avert future congestion
The Executive Secretary Nigerian Shippers Council Hon.Jime has called for the construction of a railway linking the Lekki Deep Seaport in order not replicate the truck/trailer traffic and port congestion that has characterized Apapa and Tin-Can Island port and environ.
He noted that the reliance on the road and water modes of transport to evacuate cargoes at the Lekki Deep Seaport is a clear sign of congestion in the near future.
He advised he concessionaire to partner with the federal and Lagos State government to ensure that a railway line linking the Lekki port is constructed so as to enhance intermodal transportation of containers and cargoes.
The third phase of the ongoing construction of standard gauge railway line by Lagos state government is expected to link Lekki and b extension the deep seaport at Lekki.
Jime stated further that already contract has been awarded to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation by Federal Ministry of Transport for construction of Kano to Kaduna standard gauge railway line with a view to connecting it to the Lagos-Ibsdan standard gauge railway line in the near future.
The Executive Secretary also pointed out that government is also sourcing for partners to fund the construction of the East-West standard gauge railway line adding that when these rail projects are completed it will ease the evacuation of freight, petroleum products and passengers from one part the country enmass at a cheaper and faster rate.
Standard Gauge: Schedule of Passenger Trains
Route Departure Time Arrival Time
(Twice Daily)
Lagos -Ibadan 8.00 a.m 10.47 a.m
Lagos-Ibadan. 4.00 p.m 6.47 p.m
Ibadan-Lagos 8.00 a.m. 10.47 a.m
Ibadan-Lagos 4.00 am
Kano-Maradi Rail: Contractor aligns with FG’s request to import gas powered locomotive engines
In line with global dictates of producing environmentally friendly Locomotive engines the executive director, Mota-Engil, Mr Pedro Pereira, has assured that the request for procurement of Compressed Natural Gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas powered Locomotive engines for operation of Kano-Maradi standard gauge railway line.
He disclosed that with the recent arrival of construction equipment into the country the first phase of the construction work on the $200million project would soon be completed before commencement of the operational phase when the locomotive engines must have arrived the country.
Pereira gave the promise recently in Abuja during the agreement signing ceremony between the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Mota-Engil, the company handling the Kano-Maradi standard gauge rsilway line, for the supply of rolling stocks and operation.
Earlier the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani,said that procuring Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as against Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) engines would be better for the environment.
Ajani said the agreement was that the contractor was to supply rolling stocks, operations and maintenance equipment for Kano-Maradi standard rail line.
Adding that the request for procuement of gas powered locomotive engines was the right way to go in checking the harmful effect of global warming.
The permanent secretary, who acknowledged that using CNG and LPG could attract additional costs, admitted that the idea was not in the original agreement.
In a separate development Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited (PCHS), a Subsidiary of SIFAX Group has successfully handled equipment for the $200 million Kano-Maradi (Niger Republic) rail project being handled by Mota-Engil Nigeria Limited.
The multi-million dollars heavy-duty equipment which was conveyed MV-TINA vessel at the terminal last week included wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, crawler excavators, truck-mounted concrete pumps, concrete mixer trucks, telehandlers, motor graders, vibratory soil compactors, and many more.
Speaking during the unveiling of the equipment at the terminal, John Jenkins, Managing Director, PCHS, thanked the construction firm for trusting the company to handle their equipment noting that handling such volume is an indication of the trust which clients have in the terminal operator’s excellent service delivery.
“I would like to thank Mota-Engil for trusting and working with us. Our handling of this volume of cargo is an indication of our capacity to deliver excellent service. We have a rich blend and mix of human capital and equipment at our company and this has helped us to meet and surpass the expectations of our clients.
“The terminal has capacity to also store various cargoes conveniently too. We put in our best to make sure that best value is delivered always. We are proud that the equipment that will be used for the rail construction are handled by us”, he said.
Jenkins explained that PCHS has well-established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in line with global best practices which makes service delivery at the terminal seamless.
In his words, “We don’t have documentation issues here at PCHS, we have established SOPs to make operations here very seamless. As far as PCHS is concerned we give sufficient resources in handling big and large volumes.”
In his response Logistics Manager, Mota-Engil Nigeria Limited, Nuno Colaco, commended Ports ,& Cargo for professionalism, available manpower, transparency and prompt service delivery.