The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Monday said that the Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi , has approved the commencement of the Port Harcourt-Aba Mass Transit Train Service.
The official flag-off of the service will hold on Wednesday at Port-Harcourt Railway Station, with the governors of Rivers and Abia in attendance.
Mr Abdulraouf Akinwoye, the Public Relations Officer of the NRC in Lagos said the service has become necessary to ease the hardship of commuters in the areas.
It said that the approval was “sequel to the substantial progress on the rehabilitation of the existing narrow-gauge network of Eastern Rail line traversing Port Harcourt to Gombe.’’
The statement added: “The NRC earlier this year commenced Intercity Train Services from Port Harcourt to Kano and Port Harcourt to Gombe respectively.
“In furtherance to the Federal Government’s quest to providing affordable and reliable train services across the country, the minister of transportation will be flagging off Aba-Port Harcourt mass transit train services.
“For the comfort of passengers and operational efficiency, the newly introduced Aba-Port Harcourt Train is scheduled to run four trips daily from Monday to Saturday.”
It said that “going by the economic potential of Port Harcourt and Aba in commerce, tourism and industrialisation, there is hope for proactive economic growth and virile positive change in the lives of the citizenry of the two benefitting states.”