Transport Minister Sa’idu Alkali has announced that the long-awaited freight wagon haulage on the narrow gauge railway from Lagos to Kano will commence in December. This development was disclosed by Mr. Alkali during his visit to the Kajola Wagon Assembly Plant in Ogun.
While speaking about the railway system, the minister explained that the railway corporation currently uses standard gauges to transport cargo from Lagos to Ibadan. However, the plan is to initiate operations from Apapa to Kano by December.
As reported by Peoples Gazette, the federal government has already undertaken the task of repairing the narrow gauge railway line from Lagos to Kano and is now in the process of acquiring locomotives and wagons to facilitate the movement of containers from Apapa to Kano.
Mr. Alkali stated, “Once we evacuate containers from Lagos, we will use the narrow gauge to move them to Kano.”
During his visit to various railway facilities, the minister also directed the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria, to focus on improving the cleanliness of the coaches to enhance patronage.
Mr. Okhiria mentioned that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, along with the former transport minister, established a ministerial committee to examine freight charges. The primary objective of this committee is to ensure the efficient operation of freight rail services.
Discussing the current challenges, Mr. Okhiria noted, “The terminal charges are high because of the double handling; presently, moving cargo by rail is more expensive than road but is faster. We are looking to see how we can do it. We have minimum operational costs, and we don’t need to go and borrow money to buy diesel. That is why we are starting the freight rail movement of cargo handling now.”
He also mentioned that NRC had already begun the freight rail movement from the port, awaiting further directives to reduce charges. The corporation aims to repair vandalized tracks on the narrow gauge within a month, assemble and service the wagons, and then put them into operation. Currently, NRC possesses around 120 narrow gauge wagons, and the federal government has taken proactive measures by placing an order through the China Civil Engineering Construction Company.
