The passenger train service between Abuja and Kaduna will restart on Monday, but there will only be two return trains.
The declaration was made in a statement that the NRC’s managing director, Fidet Okhiria, gave to Channels Television on Saturday.
According to the announcement, the first train would leave Kaduna state’s Rigasa railway station for Abuja by 8:00 in the morning, while the first train from Abuja will leave Idu train station for Kaduna state by 9:45.
The NRC management also disclosed that, as part of the increased security measures, travellers must now provide their National Identity Number and a valid boarding ticket before they can board.
Additionally, it states that only kids and a predetermined number of adult passengers are permitted to purchase tickets using a proxy.
While railway station ticket offices will open on Monday, December 5, at 6:30 a.m., online and mobile ticketing will be accessible starting at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 4, 2022.
Recall that on March 28, 2022, Boko Haram militants assaulted a moving passenger train in Kaduna, leading the NRC to stop train operations along the route.
Over 60 people were kidnapped and some of them were killed when the militants blew up the rail track and blasted the moving train.
Outrage at the unusual incident was felt both internationally and domestically.
The last captive was freed on October 5, 2022, by the militants who assaulted the train headed for Kaduna.
Anguished family members had repeatedly appealed for the freedom of their loved ones before the hostages were fully freed.
