Nigeria offers free trips and revives its capital’s light rail system

After four years of suspension due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Nigeria reopened the first phase of a light railway network built by China in the nation’s capital, Abuja, and promptly announced free rides for travelers.

At a cost of $823 million, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation constructed the railway network, which currently has two lines and 45.25 kilometers (28.12 miles) of track. There will be 292 kilometers of track and six lines when everything is finished.

More than a year after it started running, President Bola Tinubu presided over a ceremony on Wednesday to reopen the train service that had been discontinued in 2020.

For two months, the government had planned to offer free trips, but Tinubu insisted that passengers should not pay until the end of the year.

Although he did not specify how his government would pay for the free service, commuters who are struggling with high transportation costs due to the elimination of a well-liked gasoline subsidy last year will be happy to see it.

The international airport is connected to other areas of the city via the railway network.

Due to the high expense of living in inner cities and the possibility of heavy traffic during peak hours, many people who work in Nigeria’s capital choose to reside outside of Abuja or in satellite towns.