CCECC trains NRC, FMOT personnel for Lagos-Ibadan railway operations

As part of the deliverables for the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria has organised a one-month training for the operators of the railway line.

The operators, which include the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and the client, the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT), were trained on various aspects of railway operations such as the subgrade and structures, permanent way and introduction to various equipment, stations and communication, signalling and power supply system.

The training programme commenced on May 9 and concluded on June 7, 2022. The participants were taken through the various theoretical and practical aspects of the operations and the study of various equipment available for the Lagos-Ibadan railway services.

At the closing ceremony, Deputy Managing Director, CCECC, Xia Lijun, said the training is part of the processes to be observed preparatory to the final handover of the entire Lagos-Ibadan railway system.

He stated that there is no doubt that the participants have gained a wealth of experience from the training programme that will make the operation of the railway highly functional and meet up with the purpose for which the project was designed.

He enjoined all the trainees to be highly focused with full confidence in administering the knowledge already gained from the comprehensive training programme in both theory and practical processes.

Lijun urged them to be considerate enough to pass or impact this knowledge to other colleagues on the same schedule that were not privileged to attend the training programme.

Speaking on behalf of the trainees, District Superintendent Western District, NRC, Mrs. Kemi Ogbonna, expressed gratitude to the management of Nigerian Railway Corporation for selecting them as participants for the training and also expressed appreciation for the effort of the entire management of CCECC for organising the training.

Ogbonna said the training exposed them to the rudiments of running and maintaining a new railway such as the new Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge, stating that with new knowledge on the operation and maintenance, they sincerely believe it will improve and better prepare them for the new task ahead.

She stated that the training should be sustained and promised that those of them who participated would endeavour to transfer the knowledge gained to their colleagues.

Managing Director NRC, Fidet Okhiria, said there have been railway modernisation all the while but participants have never experienced this type of training.

He stated that part of the reason for his presence is to see if they have actually received the knowledge.

He hoped to see improvement in character and productivity level and the way they relate with their colleagues.

Director, Rail Transport Services, FMOT, J. A. Yusuf, congratulated the trainees for being part of the operational training of the Lagos-Ibadan railway modernisation project.

He expressed optimism that the aim of the government in increasing local content and improving the technical knowledge of Nigeria in handling and operating infrastructure assets will be achieved.