FG begins freight services from Kano to Lagos

The Federal Government connected Thursday flagged disconnected the commencement of cargo haulage from the Dala Inland Dry Port successful Kano to the Apapa Seaport successful Lagos State done the Lagos to Kano constrictive gauge railway, to easiness the question of goods from the seaport to the hinterland.

The Minister of Transportation, Said Alkali, during the commissioning of the freight question astatine the Dala Inland Dry Port successful Kano State, said the purpose was to decongest Apapa Seaport and beforehand businesslike obstruction services.

He recalled that during his familiarisation sojourn to the Apapa Port erstwhile helium assumed bureau successful October 2023, helium gave a marching bid to the Railway Corporation to hole the constrictive gauge from Lagos to Kano for freight use.

He said, “The fixing of the constrictive gauge was to guarantee the resumption of freight work from Lagos to Kano, being the commercialized nervus centre of bluish Nigeria, without interrupting the modular gauge construction.”

The curate further stated that the operation of the modular gauge from Lagos to Kano-Maradi is progressing astatine an appreciable velocity arsenic the Federal Government precocious secured financing for the ongoing modular gauge obstruction projects from Kaduna to Kano.

He disclosed that the authorities has besides initiated a obstruction task that volition nexus Badagry to Tincan-Apapa-Lekki-Ijebu Ode-Kajola and past link to Lagos-Kano-Maradi.

He said that the existent task was undertaken nether the railway modernisation task to accelerate the realisation of the renewed anticipation docket of the President. He commended the President for providing the needed enactment for the completion of the bequest project.

The Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidelis Okhiria, successful his address, noted that the lawsuit marks the archetypal question of freight by obstruction from the inland adust larboard successful Kano to the seaport successful Apapa, adding it would not person happened without the determination of the Minister who pushed them to guarantee they delivered connected the constrictive gauge truthful that the question of trains connected the constrictive gauge would statesman arsenic soon arsenic possible.

He revealed that the bid near Apapa connected the evening of the 26th and arrived connected the 31st of April, saying they tried to debar nighttime movements of the bid arsenic the enactment was preceded by a railbus and information arsenic good arsenic engineering men to guarantee the way is harmless and the goods are delivered without hitches.

He said, “As the bid leaves present today, they mean to get to Apapa wrong 4 days. There are immoderate areas where, owed to information reasons, we can’t tally astatine night, and we respect that, truthful the bid volition beryllium moving from 7 americium to 6 pm. It is amended to beryllium precocious than to beryllium late, truthful we instrumentality that arsenic a principle.”

The adust port, according to him, is rolling retired 18 wagons of 4-foot containers astatine a goal, and they volition beryllium delivered arsenic the same, adding that it volition further trim the accent connected the roadworthy and beforehand information and information for radical utilizing the road.

He urged Nigerians to usage the services for their import and export, saying bid work is cheaper, safer, and faster than roadworthy transport.

Although the obstruction whitethorn beryllium going 48 km/h, helium said it is faster arsenic it volition instrumentality an other 2 days if goods spell by road.

He said for present they are transporting 18 containers, but they tin bash up to 30 containers with double-headed locomotives arsenic they get much freight. NRC tin bash much tonnage to enactment radical progressive successful exports and imports.