NRC warns commuters against sitting on train roof as it resumes Lagos service

The Nigerian Railway Corporation on Thursday cautioned commuters against unsafe conducts, especially riding on the roof of a moving train.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the corporation gave the caution at the  resumption of its Lagos-Ogun mass transit service.
It suspended the service in September 2019 because of the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Rail Line.
The NRC Lagos District Manager, Jerry Oche, who gave the warning in an interview with NAN in Lagos, said safety remained a primary concern of the corporation.
Oche noted that the corporation was aware that the available trains and coaches would not meet the demand of the teeming commuters, but said that should be safety conscious.
He said: “I will advice that the first thing everybody should think of is safety as we commence operations.
“We have been away for few months, but commuters should not risk their lives because they want to board this train.
“It is when you are alive that you think of moving around.
“If the train is filled up, do not sit on the roof because it is risky.
“Train is still about the cheapest and the most convenient, but life has no duplicate and nothing is comparable to life.
“If anybody climbs on top of coaches and anything happens to such, there is no hope again.”
According to Oche, when train is filled up, commuters should look for an alternative rather than take risks.
Oche said an intending passenger, who discovered after ticket purchase that the train had been filled, had the right to return the ticket for refund.
The NRC boss, however, said the corporation was working hard to increase frequency.
He said: “The government of the day is interested; there will be more rolling stocks even on the narrow gauge.
“If you cannot join the train because it is filled up, look for another means.”
NAN reports that Oche, who announced the resumption on Wednesday, had said the operation, which resumed with one return trip daily from Kajola in Ogun State to Iddo in Lagos State, will involve a train of 14 coaches with 92 seats each.
The manager added that the train would leave Kajola in Ogun State at 6am for Iddo in Lagos State and would depart Lagos for Kajola at 5:30pm daily.
According to him, the reason the corporation is doing only one trip includes the fact that it needs to do some trials on the tracks that have just been done.
He also noted that construction of standard gauge rail line was ongoing, adding that the level crossing points were not fully ready.
The corporation had earlier informed its customers that the train service would resume on November 15, 2019, but could not effect the resumption.
NAN.