FG set to commence eastern railway rehabilitation project March 9

…With route extension to Abakaliki, Awka

The Federal Government has revealed that, the rehabilation of  the  Eastern railway corridor linking Port Harcourt to Maiduguri will be flagged off on March 9, addt, with a branch route to Abakaliki, Ebonyi and Awka  in Anambra state.

Rotimi Amaechi, Nigeria’s minister of transportation disclosed this  over the weekend during the routine inspection of the $1.5billion Lagos to Ibadan standard project. 

He explained that federal government’s decision to extend the rail route to Ebonyi and Anambra  is part of government efforts to connect the entire country by rail.

“The Eastern railway corridor will now have a branch route to Abakaliki and Awka” he stated.

Amaechi also said the President, Muhammadu Buhari will perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the Eastern rail corridor on 9th March 9, 2021.

Giving his view on the level of work  done  towards the completion of all station buildings along the Lagos-Ibadan rail corridor as well as the extension of the rail line from Ebutte Metta to the Apapa sea port, Amaechi said  “as you can see, the laying of the track has been successfully done into Apapa port”.

“The stations are completed too, what is left at most of the stations is the fixing of bulbs and little things like that. If we tell CCECC to get this place ready for commissioning in the next two weeks, this place will be ready” he added. 

The minister however charged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other agencies at the port to ensure that the train is highly utilized in lifting cargo when the rail project is fully commissioned.

He tasked the management of NPA to ensure that trucks are cleared at the port, adding that only registered trucks moving goods imported or to be exported be allowed into the ports.

MIKE OCHONMA