The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on Tuesday in Abuja urged the Federal Government to fast-track railway operations across the country. The union’s General Secretary, Mr Kingsley Ukoh, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Ukoh said the measure would tranform the transport sector, stressing that an efficient rail system would rid the highways of haulage vehicles and reduce accidents. He said the operations of heavy duty vehicles on the highways had become a menace to motorists and commuters, and urged government to make the resumption of the railway operation a priority. Ukoh noted that in developed countries petroleum tankers and heavy duty equipment were usually conveyed by rail in order to preserve the roads and make them more durable.

He said the operations of heavy duty vehicles on the highways were some of the factors responsible for the deplorable condition of the nation’s major roads, stressing that one of the ways to upgrade the transport sector was to expedite action on the rail system.