The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) yesterday said it would address the issue of lateness of trains under its Mass Train Transit (MTT) services.
The NRC Regional General Manager, Lagos District, Mr Akin Osinowo, told newsmen in Lagos that this was part of efforts to provide better services for commuters.
The district runs 16 trips daily in its MTT services and the trains are always overcrowded.
Many passengers sit atop the trains due to the limited number of coaches.
Osinowo said that the delay in meeting the challenges was primarily caused by the technical and mechanical issues bothering on safety.
“At our last management retreat, the issue of lateness of train was discussed.
“We looked at the things that really caused delays; most of them are due to technical and mechanical issues that have to do with safety.
“Now, we at the Lagos District are already putting in place efforts to tackle it as part of the larger efforts by NRC.
“Everybody is looking and measuring the time that we take off and the time that the train spends en route.
“The target is to reduce it by 30 per cent.
“For NRC, safety is the number one agenda.
“So, all our trains have to be thoroughly checked, coach by coach, we check for the brake, cock ling, vacuum power and others,” he said.
Osinowo said that the newly recruited members of staff would be trained and deployed to deal with the maintenance issue to shorten the take off time.
He said that when the delay became noticeable, the district revitalised its public address system to inform passengers of any unforeseen development.
The manager said that loading of passengers’ luggage and waiting for passengers rushing to catch up with the train were logistic issues that must be tackled.
“There is going to be cut off time for loading; if you don’t bring your load in time, you can no longer board the train,” Osinowo said.