Abuja-Kaduna train service to resume in early December

The Federal Government said on Sunday the Abuja-Kaduna train service would resume in early December.

The Minister of Transportation, Mua’zu Sambo, disclosed this while inspecting the train route in Abuja.

He said the delay was to enable the passengers to get used to the new requirements of the train service.

The federal government suspended the Abuja-Kaduna train service following the March 28 attack on a passenger train by suspected terrorists.

The minister said: “The issue of whether the train will start tomorrow or not, we have not said the train services will start tomorrow.

“I want to be very categorical about that. Now, we have introduced a new system before you buy a ticket.

“Your purchase of a ticket requires you to provide a phone number and a national identification number in order to profile because that is the beginning of the security checks.

”So, at any point in time when a train moves from one station to another, we know who and who is on board.

READ ALSO: Buhari commends military over release of Abuja-Kaduna train passengers

“If you don’t have a NIN you are not going to board our train. It is as simple as that.

“If you are a minor, an adult will pay for you and will register for you and an adult can only register for not more than four minors.”

”Now, we want to give sufficient time for the Nigerian public to listen to these and assimilate this new system because if we start tomorrow, a lot of people will be disgruntled.

”Definitely the service will start between three, four, or five days, certainly not more than a week.”

He assured Nigerians that 90 percent of the arrangements had been completed for the smooth commencement of the train service.

Sambo added that the remaining 10 percent measures would be achieved in a couple of days for the smooth commencement of the service.

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