The management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced that the Warri-Itakpe Train Service (WITS) will resume on April 30.

The managing director/chief executive officer of NRC, Kayode Opeifa, said this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday in Lagos.

The statement was signed by Ag. deputy director, public relations, NRC, Callistus Unyimadu.

Mr Opeifa said the suspension of the services was to enable the management to improve on the operational capacity, redundancy and customer delivery.

“NRC wishes to inform the public that following the suspension of the WITS on April 10 due to technical and operational challenges, chief among them being multiple engine failures, services will resume on Wednesday, April 30.

“The management of the NRC apologised to passengers, stakeholders, other interest groups, and Nigerians in general whose livelihood is daily impacted by the services,” he said.

He said the resumption followed a critical review of the operational and technical situations.

He said the management was pleased to announce the recommencement of the services, starting from April 30.

“Our esteemed passengers are required to kindly note that the WIT service has now been rescheduled to run for six days a week, Friday to Wednesday.

“Starting from Thursday, May 1, the service will be rested every Thursday for track and rolling stock maintenance on the WITS route,” he said.

Mr Opeifa appreciated Nigerians, the service-revered passengers, and stakeholders for their understanding, patience, and cooperation during the trying period.

“We value your continued patronage and commitment to NRC,” he said.

He said passengers who previously opted for a ticket refund had been fully reimbursed while the train service was suspended.

“Those who choose not to be refunded can revalidate their tickets for any preferred travel date via the corporation’s e-ticketing platform.

“While we deeply regret the inconveniences that this suspension may have caused our esteemed customers and stakeholders, we assure you of the best of services going forward,” he said.

(NAN)