13th July, 2011
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Tuesday announced it lost about N3 million to flooding that followed the rain on Sunday and Monday in Lagos.
The Lagos District Manager of the corporation, Mr. John Dottie, who disclosed this, said the rail track was also washed off at Shogunle area of Lagos.
“The downpour on Sunday and Monday in Lagos caused heavy flooding of the tracks making it unsafe to travel.
“When the rain subsided, we noticed washouts in some areas,†Dottie told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.
NAN reports that washout is when ballast stones from under the track are removed making it unsafe for trains to move on the track.
Dottie said that since the NRC was making an average of N1.5 million daily, the two-day stoppage of movement due to the flood caused a loss of N3 million.
He said that contractors had started working on the track and as soon as they are through with the repairs, train services would resume.
“We are working round the clock to see that the track is put right so that we can resume better services,” he said.
He appealed to commuters to bear with the corporation while the problems lasted, saying he hoped the track would be alright for railway operations by Wednesday.
NAN reports that the NRC runs eight train services between Iddo in Lagos and Ijoko in Ogun on a daily basis, moving not less than 15,000 passengers daily.