Good News as Tinubu Announces 15-day Free Train Rides Including Christmas, New Year
- The President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has declared free train rides for Nigerians for 15 days
- The announcement stated that the rides would last from December 20, 2024, till January 5, 2025, all through the festive season
- This is an initiative to relieve Nigerians of travel expenses during the Yuletide, but no mention of how the FG would fund the free train rides
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The Nigerian government has declared 15 days of free train rides for Nigerians in the spirit of the Christmas festivities. The train rides will start on December 20, 2024, and end on January 5, 2025.
Nigeria's Minister of Information, Mr. Mohammed Idris, revealed this at the close of the recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
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These free train rides aim to reduce the financial pressure of travelling during the Yuletide seasons, especially since the removal of the petrol subsidy has increased fuel costs and transportation fares.
Free services targeted at vulnerable Nigerians
The minister noted that this move targets the most vulnerable Nigerians and is part of President Tinubu’s initiative to reduce the impact of government policies on its citizens.
This declaration also encourages Nigerians to adopt rail as a means of transportation, thus reducing the burden on the inter-state roads.
An earlier released statement from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) deputy director of Public Relations, Yakub Mahmood, explained that the railway corporation had received the directive from the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
The statement said this would provide Nigerians with more convenient travel options during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
All passenger trains managed by the federal government under the auspices of the Nigeria Railway Corporation will offer free train rides during this period, in keeping with the FG announcement.
What routes does this cover?
Nigerians travelling to and through cities and states within the railway network would enjoy the free train rides. The rail network connects Lagos state to Oyo, Osun, and Osun states in the southwest.
There is also the Abuja railway line, which runs to Kaduna in the North, and the Itakpe-Warri railway line, which runs from Ajaokuta in Kogi state to Warri, Delta state, in the south-south region.
Recall that last year, the federal government also declared free train rides during the Christmas and New Year celebration period, eventually extending it to January 7, 2024.
There was also a collaborative effort with companies operating luxury buses across 22 routes to subsidize bus fares to those routes.
Passengers were required to purchase the tickets online during the 21-day period it lasted. Over 112,000 Nigerians benefited from this initiative last year during the Christmas holidays.
Sanwo-Olu kicks off Red Line train operations
In a related development, Legit.ng earlier reported that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu flagged off the operation of the Lagos Red Line train with its first official trip.
The inaugural journey took passengers from Oyingbo Station to Agbado, signifying the start of commercial services for the much-anticipated rail project.
The governor highlighted the train's capacity to revolutionize public transportation in Lagos by drastically cutting travel times.
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Source: Legit.ng
