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The Federal Government has announced that it has taken delivery some coaches and locomotives to be deployed on key rail lines in Nigeria.
The government disclosed this via a post by the Nigerian Railway Corporation(NRC) on its official Twitter handle.
It said the coaches were the last set which were ordered in March, adding that the locomotives and coaches, which arrived Nigeria from China would be deployed once operations begin.
“Some days ago, Nigeria took delivery of the last dozens of train coaches ordered in the month of March.
“The coaches have been transported to Nigerian train base in Papalanto, Ogun State and will be used on the Lagos-Ibadan railway when operations begin,” NRC said.
The spokesperson of the NRC, Yakub Mahmood, who confirmed the development, said the new locomotives and coaches for the Abuja-Kaduna rail line had arrived in the Federal Capital Territory.
“Some of the new coaches and locomotives are already at the Abuja station, while others are en-route Abuja,” he said.
He, however, noted that the trains would only be deployed for use when the government lifts the ban on interstate movement.
“We don’t know when we are going to start using them; it is until they allow us to start operating interstate service that we can deploy the trains for use.
“So it is the Federal Government that will give the go ahead for the reopening of interstate movements under the advice of the NCDC, before we can start passenger services on these routes,” Mahmood added.