The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced a free train service for indigenes of Osun State travelling from Lagos for the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.
a Train of the Nigeria Railway Corporation
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Calistus Unyimadu, the NRC said the initiative—tagged “Imole Special Train”—is being implemented in partnership with the Osun State Government as part of its Sallah programme.
According to the statement, the train will operate along the narrow-gauge route from Iddo Station in Lagos to Osogbo, conveying passengers at no cost. The Osun government will fully sponsor the service, while the NRC will provide rolling stock, technical support, and operational services.
The corporation also disclosed plans to scale up train operations across major routes to accommodate increased passenger movement during the festive period.
On the Lagos-Ibadan corridor, three trips are scheduled for March 19, departing from Mobolaji Johnson Station, Ebute Metta, at 7:40am, 1:40pm, and 4:00pm, and from Obafemi Awolowo Station, Moniya, at 8:00am, 10:50am, and 4:30pm.
For the Abuja-Kaduna route, two trips will run on March 19, while three daily trips are scheduled between March 20 and 23.
The Warri-Itakpe service will maintain its thrice-weekly schedule, with departures from Warri on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays at 8:00am, and from Itakpe on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 12:00pm. Thursdays remain reserved for maintenance.
Similarly, the Port Harcourt-Aba train service will continue its regular operations throughout the period.
The NRC assured passengers of safe and reliable travel and encouraged Nigerians to take advantage of rail transport during the celebrations.
Recall that Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has earlier announced that the moon marking the beginning of Shawwal has not been sighted, indicating that Friday, March 20, will be observed as Eid-el-Fitr in Nigeria.
