- Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Land Transportation, Hon. Blessing Onuh (middle), Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Mr. Fidet Okhiria (left), and some members of the committee at the rail coach assembly plant at Papalanto, Ogun State, during the legislators’ oversight visit to the agency in Lagos…over the weekend
By Anthony Nwachukwu
Beyond the immediate needs for appropriate and uninterruptible power supply, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Fidet Okhiria, has said that the agency cannot operate speed rail unless the tracks have perimeter fencing.
Okhiria, who was addressing issues concerning the speed of the coaches during the oversight visit of the House Committee on Land Transportation to the agency in Lagos over the weekend, explained that though rails could do over 150 miles per hour if powered by electricity, perimeter fencing of the route is imperative to avoid death from trespassers.
He disclosed that arrangements were at an advanced stage between the rail contractors and Eko Electricity Distribution Company for power supply, primarily for the Operations Control Centre (OCC), which will coordinate all rail movements across the federation real time.
“They are trying to get the appropriate power supply, because that is the OCC for the entire Nigeria that will cover train movement, train control, and keep records of every train movement and cameras,” he said.
“They are working on the power right now with the Eko Electricity Distribution for a dedicated and reliable line. At the same time, we are working on alternative power, so that once we switch on, there will be light (continually). They have done that for the OCC equipment and we have inspected it, and it was later switched off.”
Meanwhile, as users call for more than the current two return trips per day, Okhiria said the agency targets an hourly service, but “we are working on cost, because we want to make sure that the service is sustainable.
“You can run a train once it is scheduled, but you have to have the resources to continue to run. All we are doing now is trying to see if we can break even in operations, and if what we earn can provide the diesel. So, there is nothing stopping us from running every hour if we have the resources to provide the diesel for the motive power.”
On patronage, Okhiria further disclosed that the Mobolaji Johnson Station in Lagos and the Ibadan station switch peak periods, with Lagos having a surge as people return to Ibadan on weekends, while the opposite is the case at Ibadan when they head to Lagos on Mondays, and both ends registering off-peak periods during the week.
He added that the ticket barriers at the stations were at the last phase of installation, while “civil and mechanical works have been completed.
“They are going to initialise and commission it to the public (in the next two weeks). The ticket will permit you to get to the departure hall, and also allow you, when you arrive, to leave the platform.”
According to him, the contractors have finished assembling the wagons ordered by the Nigerian government, and the agency is rallying other segments, like the Kano-Maradi corridor, as well as countries, to patronise the assembly plants at Papalanto, Ogun State.
