The management of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has issued out a new fare for passengers plying Ibadan-Lagos, with introduction of high price expected to come into operation effective from Monday, December 5, 2022
Penpushing reports that, the circulated new fee already forwarded to Ibadan, Abeokuta and Lagos offices of the railway corporation now showed that passengers are now to pay between N9,000 and N6,500 to their destinations.
The circulated message from the management of the corporation also showed that, the payment which affects both first class and second class passengers depends on which of the classes’ passengers prefers when travelling
Penpushing further reports that, before the sudden astronomical tariff, the maximum payment for the Lagos-Ibadan trip was N3, 000, just as findings showed that the increment caught many passengers and number of staff of the affected terminus unaware.
The railway transportation system recently became a succor for passengers plying Lagos-Ibadan, as number of them prefers to travel on it, as a result of incessant traffic jam on the expressway, while the comfort in the coaches were seen as good development as well.
Penpushing also reports that, it is recalled that few weeks ago, stranded passengers at the Prof Wole Soyinka Railway Station located in Laderin area of Abeokuta, had protested over shortage of coaches, following increase in number of passengers
The protesters, many of them who claimed to have arrived the station as early as 7.30am to board train scheduled to take off 8.25am, were told that, there was no more space to accommodate them for the Lagos trip.
Penpushing reports that, the constraints of the authority of the Abeokuta station was that, the train leaving Ibadan for the trip to Lagos, is always loaded with huge passengers, which equally affects the Abeokuta passengers.
The stranded passengers argued that, the development is becoming unbecoming, and expressed disappointment about the management non-challance towards their own welfare, emphasizing that they were been subjected to inhuman treatment
Penpushing further reports that, the stranded protesters called for urgent need to address the issue, pointing out that, railway system has boosted transportation in the country, hence, the need for management to be proactive
The protesters, therefore called for additional two coaches to complement the existing nine coaches plying the route, stressing that they cannot continued to suffer, as a result of the non-challance of the management.
Penpushing also reports that, one of the stranded passengers, Lekan Olamide in an interview with Penpushing online Television crew, recalled that, the incident has continued to occurred, saying it was uncalled for
‘We are commuters going to Lagos and Ibadan This same issue happened two weeks ago .we come from town to this place, it cost fortunes, when you now get here , we’ve been here for 7.30am , and telling you there is no train, we can’t understanding what’s really happening’, he lamented
‘They should give us vital information, or place it online, so that people, know what exactly going on, and know what to be done as at when due. That train is about 9 coaches, they should make two coaches available for Abeokuta, dedicate two coaches, is not that the train is coming from the North’,Olamide added.
‘It is coming from Ibadan , let two coaches available, and each coach , is about 40/50 seats , if you say you are picking about 100 or 200 people from Abeokuta, that is enough. You don’t stress people like this. You get to park, we get stress, we now get to train station to face same stress’, he stated
Penpushing reports that, all efforts to get reaction of the management of the corporation proved abortive, as nobody was readily available to respond, even a telephone call and text message to the complaint office with a designated number +2348025317266 was not attended to
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