The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello has said that the Abuja rail would begin operation in Dec. 2017.

Bello stated this while receiving the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the NNPC Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachichwu, who paid him a working visit on Monday in Abuja.

He said the commencement of the rail operation would complement the present mode of public transportation and reduce traffic gridlock often experienced at peak periods in the Federal Capital Territory.

“The FCT Administration is assiduously working to make the Abuja rail system operational in the last quarter of 2017. When the Abuja rail comes on stream, it will revolutionise the transportation system, as the use of personal vehicles would become unattractive,’’ he said.

The minister said that the rail transportation would also go a long way to create employment for some residents of the FCT.

He, however, called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to build Mega Filling Stations in the six area councils of the FCT.

“Instead of only one earmarked for each senatorial district in the 36 states of the federation, a large population of the territory resides in the area councils and satellite towns. Citing mega filling stations in the area councils will definitely reduce pressure on the stations in the Federal Capital City,” he said.

Bello promised that he would provide good locations in the headquarters of the six area councils for the mega filling stations.

According to him, the FCT administration is prepared to go into partnership with the NNPC by giving it befitting and strategic plots of land for the stations, in exchange for equity share in the business.

Earlier, Kachichwu said the NNPC was planning to construct additional mega filling stations in all the senatorial districts of the country, in partnership with the states.

He said that 15 state governors had already indicated interest by providing plots of land for the project.

He called on the FCT Minister to key into the scheme by making available plots of land for the purpose.

(NAN)