Kaduna-Kano rail construction will start this month - Amaechi – Newstrends
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Kaduna-Kano rail construction will start this month – Amaechi

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Construction work on extension of the Abuja-Kaduna rail line to Kano will begin this June, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said on Thursday.

He disclosed this while speaking at the inauguration of the new Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line president over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Lagos.

“We have about three or four projects. This month, we will start Kano-Kaduna and then we will also start Port Harcourt to Maiduguri which also is CCECC and then Kano-Maradi” he said.

The minister also called for the maximum utilisation of the new Lagos-Ibadan rail facility.

He said, “The celebration is not enough; it is the impact that it would have on the economy, the goods and services, the personnel it would have to move in record time.”

He however lamented the delay in the loan facility to complete the Ibadan-Kaduna rail line.

“While we are celebrating that, we are not happy that up till now the China Exim Bank is yet to approve the loan for Ibadan to Kano (rail line) because we need to start that and complete it quickly

“We are grateful that the Chinese government through the China Exim bank was able to give us the loan at a concessionary rate to construct from the seaport down to Ibadan. We hope that we get money to be able to construct from Ibadan to Kano so that we can complete the track and make sure that business takes place,” he stated.

He also said, “We got money from China Exim Bank, we paid counterpart funding. We did put pressure on the CCECC and delivered on time. In terms of quality, what we have is good.”

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Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route

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Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced the introduction of additional train trips on its Lagos-Ibadan Train Service (LITS) route, exclusively for Fridays and Saturdays.

This initiative increases weekend trips from two to three, offering commuters greater travel flexibility.

The announcement, made via the NRC’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, revealed that the new Lagos-to-Ibadan trip will depart at 1:40 pm, complementing the existing schedules of 7:45 am and 4:00 pm.

For the Ibadan-to-Lagos route, the additional trip is set for 10:50 am, joining the regular departures at 8:00 am and 4:30 pm.

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“Catch our extra Friday & Saturday train trips on LAGOS – IBADAN TRAIN SERVICE (LITS). 

“LAGOS to IBADAN: 

“•⁠Times: 7:45am, 1:40pm, 4:00pm 

“IBADAN to LAGOS: 

“•⁠Times: 8:00am, 10:50am, 4:30pm,” NRC’s tweet read in part.

This tweet by the Nigerian Railway Corporation further noted that the new schedule complements the existing Sunday-to-Thursday trips, which remain unchanged with departure times at 8:00 am and 4:00 pm from both Lagos and Ibadan.

This move by the NRC to expand the schedule is aimed at accommodating increased demand, particularly during weekends, and providing greater flexibility for commuters traveling between Lagos and Ibadan.

The move is expected to ease travel pressures and improve convenience for passengers on one of Nigeria’s busiest rail routes.

Travelers are encouraged to take advantage of the additional services and book tickets early via the e-ticketing website. to secure their spots, especially as the Lagos-Ibadan rail route continues to grow in popularity.

Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route

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Nigeria gets $350m AfDB facility for Kano-Maradi rail project

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Nigeria gets $350m AfDB facility for Kano-Maradi rail project

The Federal Government of Nigeria has secured $350 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to fund the construction of the Kano-Maradi rail project, which will connect Kano to Maradi in Niger Republic.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport, Senator Adamu Aliero, made this disclosure on Monday during an oversight visit to the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) headquarters in Lagos, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Aliero stated that the Kano-Maradi rail project is part of the government’s broader efforts to modernize Nigeria’s railway network and enhance regional trade links.

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“The Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, Sen. Adamu Aliero,  says the African Development Bank has released $350 million to the Federal Government for construction of a rail line from Kano to Maradi,” the NAN report read in part.

He also highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to China focused on finalizing negotiations for 85% of the financing needed to upgrade and rehabilitate the nation’s rail infrastructure.

Aliero disclosed that the supplementary budget recently passed by the National Assembly allocated over N530 billion as counterpart funding for these modernization efforts. The remaining 85% of the funds will be sourced from institutions such as China Exim Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and AfDB.

Nigeria gets $350m AfDB facility for Kano-Maradi rail project

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Lagos Blue Rail: LAMATA speaks on fire incident 

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Lagos Blue Rail: LAMATA speaks on fire incident 

 

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has reacted to a fire incident affecting a section of the Blue Rail Line that occurred in the Apangbon area of the state on Saturday.

A statement issued by the Head of Corporate Communication at LAMATA, Kolawole Ojelabi, attributed the incident to a spark, leading to a disruption in the passengers operations of the line.

The statement read, “The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) is aware of a spark, inducing fire, at a section of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) near the old NEPA station by Eko Bridge around Apongbon area of Lagos Island.

“As a result, passenger operations of the Blue Line were disrupted.

“Following the spark, the system isolated the section for investigators and engineers from the Independent Power Plant powering the train to trace the source of the fire.

“The Closed-Circuit camera along the section promptly alerted emergency staff who triggered the emergency response process.

“No passengers on the train and workers were in danger following the fire incident.

“Engineers are working profusely to replace the burnt cables, and it is projected that train operation will resume Sunday morning.

“LAMATA is committed to ensuring the safe operation of the Blue Line, the first rail system to be powered by electricity in West Africa.”

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