The Federal Government, has initiated a move to transition Nigerian Railway Corporation locomotives from diesel to liquefied natural gas and compressed natural gas in a bid to steer the corporation towards sustainable energy sources and reduce operational costs.

This was revealed in a statement made by the Minister of Transportation, Said Alkali, through the ministry’s Director, Press and Public Relations, Olujimi Oyetomi, on Thursday.

Alkali reiterated the desire of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to provide Nigerians with efficient, affordable, and sustainable transportation given the recent removal of subsidy on fuel.

Alkali expressed optimism that this transition could lead to more effective, efficient, and possibly cheaper rail services for Nigerians, especially in the wake of the recent removal of fuel subsidies.

To expedite the process, Alkali therefore directed the immediate formation of a seven-member technical committee tasked with evaluating the feasibility and potential outcomes of retrofitting NRC’s locomotives with LNG-CNG technology.

The committee was therefore given a timeframe of seven to 14 days to produce recommendations.