The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has confirmed that the Abuja-Kaduna train service will resume operations on Wednesday, July 29,2020.
In a tweet by the Minister, he disclosed that his Ministry has concluded the inspection of the new coaches on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line.
According to the Minister, Social distancing is set in line with Coronavirus, COVID-19 protocol, hence the end to end sitting arrangement.
The Abuja-Kaduna rail line is one of the first standard gauge railway modernisation projects undertaken in Nigeria and it connects the Federal capital city, Abuja with Kaduna, hence enabling faster movement of goods and people between the two cities.
Abuja-Kaduna Train Service To Resume Operation
The construction of the Abuja-Kaduna rail line which started in February 2011 and completed in December 2014 with the support of China was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2016.
China Civil and Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) built the line for the Federal Government.
The railway modernisation initiative in Nigeria aimed to replace the existing narrow gauge system with the wider standard gauge system while allowing high-speed train operations on the railway network.
The Abuja-Kaduna segment is the first to be implemented as part of the Lagos-Kano standard gauge project.
Also, the railway is a 186km line with standard gauge railway tracks from Idu, near Abuja, to Kaduna in the north-western region of Nigeria. It has nine stations and features both passenger and cargo trains.
The estimated cost of the Abuja-Kaduna rail project was $874m.