The Nigerian Railway Corporation says that no fewer than 30,000 passengers enjoyed the free train ride on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge between December 24 and 31.
Callistus Unyimadu, District Public Relations Officer, NRC (Western District), made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, on Friday, in Ibadan.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government declared free train ride from December 24 till January 4, 2022, to Nigerians in order to ease transportation during the Yuletide period.
Unyimadu said that the trains were filled with passengers since the declaration of the free train ride, as the free service afforded them opportunity to travel.
“People have been trooping in their thousands from December 24 and we carry between 600 and 700 passengers per trip.
“On December 24, we ran four trips from Ibadan to Lagos and four trips also from Lagos to Ibadan, making a total of eight trips per day on both end.
“Every other day, from December 25, we ran three trips from Ibadan to Lagos and Lagos to Ibadan, totalling six trips per day,” he said.
He, however, complained of passengers boarding the train for the fun of it and having nothing to do in either Ibadan or Lagos during the free service, thereby disallowing those with tangible businesses.
(NAN).