The Nigerian Minister of Transportation Said Alkali says Freight services on Lagos-Kano narrow gauge project will commence in June 2024.
The contractors, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) announced that the line has been linked up to, Zawaciki Dala Dry Port, the commercial city of Kano north-west.
The minister stated this while on an inspection tour of the Kano-Maradi rail corridor.
The Minister said the freight services “will bring the cost of business to be low. We will reduce the menace of road traffic accident. We will save our highways and the multiplier effect is on the GDP growth of the country”.
The Minister also expressed satisfaction at the pace of work on the Kano-Maradi standard gauge rail corridor stating that there is marked improvement from what he saw during his first inspection visit to the site.
However, Senator Alkali disclosed that plans are underway to segment the project for easy, efficient and faster completion.
For the standard gauge project from Lagos to Maradi, the minister said it will be completed in phases with Kano-Daura to be completed in 2025.
”We are going to segment the project by the grace of God. We are going to put Kano-Daura next year and Daura to Maradi in 2026 and Dutse to Kano in 2026″.
Senator Alkali said “This is the second leg of my inspection since I took over as the minister of Transportation and the essence of the inspection is to see by myself with a team from the minister of Transportation and Engineers from the Railway Corporation and the consultant and the contractors so that we ensure compliance in term of time and in terms of specifications but the impression I have from the last visit I came, the progress is remarkable from what I have seen.
“We came all the way from Kano, we drove on the formation that they did, they are doing the earthwork and the culvert and this is a station where they have started preparing the rail lines and the slippers so that they will use their locomotive to convey the materials on the rail line.
“I have just discussed with the contractor, we are going to segment the project by the grace of God. We are going to put kano-Daura next year and Faira to Maradi in 2026 and Dutse to Kano in 2026.
“It is not this one that is ready for freight. you know, the inspection is in two phases, the one we did today, we inspected kaduna to kano and Kano to Daura and Daura to Maradi.
“The one for Kaduna to Kano, the contractor is CCECC. We are going to put the freight hopefully in the next one month from Lagos to Kano on the narrow gauge.
“We inspected the rail line from the existing Narrow gauge to Dala Inland Dryport because that is where we are going to drop the containers. That one still stands, by May lately by June, we are going to put that Corridor into Freight from Lagos to Kano.
“By this, it will bring the cost Of business to be low. We will reduce the menace of road traffic accident. We will save our highways and the multiplier effect is on the GDP growth of the country.
“I visited Kaduna-Kano, the site towards Dala Inland Dry Port in Kano. And from there, we proceeded to kano-maradi, we are in Kazaure now, we passed through Dambata to Kazaurei and we are proceeding to Daura, to inspect the Federal University of Transportation in in Daura” he said.
Olusola Akintonde
