Rail passengers heading to Ibadan from Lagos were stranded at the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station Monday morning as they couldn’t buy tickets for their trip.
As of 10 am, passengers were still waiting to buy tickets for the 8 am trip but no official of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) was selling the tickets.
A staff of the corporation explained to the passengers that the delay was due to a lack of diesel to power the trains.
“The reason why we have not started the sales of tickets is as a result of the fuel. We are still expecting,” she said.
“Once it comes, we’ll start the sales of tickets, but we cannot assure you (of) the time.
“That’s the reason we have not started the sales of tickets.
“Once it arrives, we will start the sales,” the unidentified official explained while apologising for the delay.
She however assured the passengers that a train will move from Lagos to Ibadan.
A lot of the frustrated passengers decided to leave and catch buses, while a few waited for the train.
Higher Diesel Price, Lower Train Trips
The NRC recently announced a reduction in the number of trips on weekends.
It canceled the 12-noon trip from Lagos to Ibadan on Fridays and that of 1 pm on Saturdays.
The cancelations are not unconnected to the increase in the price of diesel which fuels the trains.
The Managing Director of the corporation confirmed to a newspaper that the reduction in the number of trips was due to the hike in the price of diesel.
The price of the fuel has increased by more than 100 percent in 2022, forcing many organisations and businesses to adjust operations or shut down.
