The Lagos District, Nigerian Railway Corporation on Friday resumed Mass Transit Train Service to Ijoko/Kajola Station, Ogun State earlier suspended due to ongoing construction of a standard gauge.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the MTTS service from Apapa/Iddo stations in Lagos State usually terminates at ljoko/Kajola station in Ogun State before the suspension of services.
The suspension, which commenced on August 10 was also to create room for realignment/reinforcement of narrow gauge railway tracks between Agbado and Iju.
The Railway District Manager in Lagos State, Jerry Oche, told newsmen on Friday that the district had resumed its long haul and shuttle train services beyond Agbado Station, where the service terminated during the suspension.
He said the corporation had reverted to four times daily passenger train service from Iddo/Apapa in Lagos State to Ijoko/Kajola in Ogun State.
Oche said during the period of suspension, the passenger trains operated only twice daily from Agbado to Apapa and back, forcing commuters, especially those residing at Ijoko/Kajola, to look for alternative modes of transport.
He explained that the Lagos-Kano passenger train, which was also re-scheduled during the period to depart from Agbado station as against Iddo, had been restored to Iddo.
Oche said freight train service from Lagos to Kaduna Inland Container Depot and Omi-Adio depot in Oyo State was also affected by the suspension of long haul train service outside Lagos.
He, however, said the suspension did not affect the normal shuttle within depots in Lagos like Niger Rail, Ajuba and Sanusi Oil.
While acknowledging the fact that passenger turnout and revenue accruable dropped drastically during the period, Oche appealed to passengers to return as normal service had resumed.
According to Oche, passenger turnout dropped from 8,000 to 5,000 passengers daily, while the restriction of train movement lasted.
He urged commuters to resume patronage of the corporation’s services, saying normal four times train service from Ijoko to Iddo and Kajola to Apapa in the morning and back in the evening had resumed operations.
NAN reports that stations in the corridor include: Iganmu, Ebute Metta Junction, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Shogunle Ikeja, Agege, Iju, Agbado, Itoki, Oposuru, Ijoko and Kajola.