The passenger train service between Abuja and Kaduna will restart on Monday, but there will only be two return services.
The announcement was made in a statement issued by NRC’s Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria.
According to the statement, the first train will leave Kaduna state’s Rigasa train station for Abuja by 8:00 in the morning, and the first train from Abuja will leave Idu train station for Kaduna state by 9:45.
The NRC management further disclosed that, as part of the new security measures, passengers must now show their National Identity Number and a valid boarding ticket before they can board.
Additionally, it states that only minors and a predetermined number of adult passengers are permitted to purchase tickets using a proxy.
While train station ticket offices will open on Monday, December 5, at 6:30 a.m., online and mobile ticketing will be available 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 suspend train service along the route.
Over 60 people were kidnapped and some of them were killed when the insurgents blew up the rail track and blasted the moving train. Outrage over the unusual incident was felt both internationally and domestically.
The last hostage was freed on October 5, 2022, by the militants who assaulted the train headed for Kaduna.
Anguished family members had repeatedly protested for the freedom of their loved ones before the hostages were fully freed.