Abstract
Tracking the influence of service improvements on passengers particularly is an important component of transport management. This study examined the characteristics of intercity travellers in the Economy Class Units (ECU) and recently introduced Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) service within the Lagos District Nigeria Railway Corporation in southwestern Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was randomly administered to 1206 passengers traveling on these trains over two months with analysis in-volving the use of the regression model. The findings of the study indicate the socio-economic characteristics of passengers accounted for about 90.3% and 88.2% of the variation in volume trips made by passengers using DMU and ECU service respectively. Significant socio-economic predictors of trip volume on DMU train are Occupation (0.137), Vehicle Ownership (0.218), and Type of vehicle (0.218). On the other hand, significant socio-economic attributes of ECU passengers that affect trip volume are Age (0.274), Education (0.970), Occupation (-0.918), Income (0.435), Vehicle Ownership (0.249), and type of Vehicle (-0.165). The result further indicates Trip Purpose explained 83.5% and 86.7% of the variation in the trip volume of both services. The trip purpose that significantly influences the volume of trips on the ECU trains are Business (0.210), Shopping (0.447) Leisure (-0.463), and other trip purposes (0.775). For the DMU train, only Other-trip forms of purpose (0.753) is significant in explaining the volume of passengers using that service. The study shows similarities in the use of the two services while several useful recommendations on ways to improve both services of the corporation were proffered.
Highlights
In most African countries including Nigeria, railway transportation is not growing rapidly as they have not been encouraged or allowed to respond to changes in the economies they serve [22]; [17]
This study aims to compare the socio-economic attributes of intercity train travellers using the NRC Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) and Economic Class Units (ECU) service in South-Western Nigeria
The study established a comparative difference in passenger's socio-economic characteristics and their patronage of the ECU and DMU service of NRC in the study area
Summary
In most African countries including Nigeria, railway transportation is not growing rapidly as they have not been encouraged or allowed to respond to changes in the economies they serve [22]; [17]. Nigeria railway transport development in similitude has for long been heavily criticized in the studies of [10]; [7]; [5]; [21]; [21]; [27]; [2]; [26]; [4]; [9]; [3] and many others for a good reason. The operation of the corporation within the Southwest region of Nigeria for several decades remains the busiest among the geo-political zones of the country. There are 16 daily mass transit train trips operated between the Lagos megacity and several sub-urban settlements within the region. Estimated daily passenger traffic of 18,000 passengers are moved on the mass transit service of the corporation on Economic Class Units (ECU) trains that target low-income earners
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