The Federal Government has announced the concession of the ticketing on Abuja-Kaduna train services to a private company for ten years. This was even as it announced the compulsory use of the National Identity Number (NIN) and phone numbers as boarding requirements for the relaunched Abuja-Kaduna train services. The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, maintained that the use of NIN is now compulsory for purchase of train tickets and adults can only use their NIN to register for not more than four minors.
The Minister expressed his satisfaction with the level of security measures put in place along the Abuja- Kaduna train route in preparation for resumption of the train service. This additional security measures became necessary after suspected terrorists attacked the Kaduna-Abuja train, killing scores of passengers and kidnapping over 100 people.
According to him, security measures have been put in place to combat attacks that may occur in the course of plying the Abuja-Kaduna route after resumption, and that these measures are adequate enough for the train service to commence.
“There are sensitive equipment which we have deployed that I will not reveal. The other thing I can tell you is that for every journey, the train is monitored every seconds on the screen. The train driver can see from a distance if there are any threats on the tracks that will enable him match the break long before getting to the threat, and that is why I am telling you confidently,” Sambo said.
