Railway
Lagos-Ibadan rail: FG, three states set to replace level crossings with over/underpasses
The Federal Government says it has reached an agreement with three state governments to jointly build standard railroad underpasses and underpasses at level crossings points along the new Lagos-Ibadan railway to avoid any collision with road users during train movement.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, gave the indication at Moniya Railway Station of the standard gauge railway, while speaking with journalists, adding that the new line would commence full commercial operation soon.
He also said all communities displaced or adversely affected in some other way by the $1.5bn railway project would be fixed and their normal life restored before leaving the project site.
The minister said the construction of befitting railroad underpasses/overpasses along the new line had become imperative in view of the rise in the rate of avoidable accidents being recorded at the level crossing points with the return of more train services to the route.
Amaechi, who was on a train inspection tour of the project from Lagos to Ibadan, said meetings had been held with governments of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states and agreements reached on how to speed up the underpass/overpass construction.
“If we don’t provide these facilities, human being will continue to use the track,” Amaechi said.
According to him, everyone has been assigned their section of work to be done.
“The Federal Government will have to lead the way in the execution of our portion of work,” he said.
Although the minister did not give details about the timeline and cost of the facilities, the Nigerian Railway Corporation has said the facility would be construction in a way that there would be no contact between the fast train and road users including motorists and pedestrians.
Managing Director of the corporation specifically Fidet Okhiria, said, “The policy is that there should be no physical level crossing; it should be either overpasses or underpasses.”
Meanwhile, the minister also assured all communities adversely affected by the railway development project that the government would not abandon them to their fate.
He said every community that had been cut off from their neighbours or land area improperly tampered with would be restored, adding that a team had been mandated to compile a list of those communities with a view to ensuring that no one would excluded or be left unattended to.
Amaechi said, “We have in the course of constructing this rail line elevated the track. There are communities along this line whose life has been disrupted. For some of them, erosion has set in; they can’t cross to the other communities.
“We are being unfair to them because they gave us all the cooperation we needed. It is not good to visit them with what was not there before. It is for the engineers to take a study village by village of what impact our rail line has caused to the communities.”
Railway
Lagos-Kano rail: Narrow gauge restoration to reach Offa before December
Lagos-Kano rail: Narrow gauge restoration to reach Offa before December
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has intensified work on its restoration of the Lagos-Kano narrow gauge rail corridor.
It has therefore assured members of the public the commercial train services on the line will reach Offa in Kwara State before December thus year.
Managing Director of NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, stated this while receiving members of Lagos State chapter of the Offa Descendants Union (ODU) led by Dr. Waheed Olagunju who paid him a courtesy visit to congratulate him on his appointment.
A statement by the acting Deputy Director of Public Relations at the NRC, Callistus Unyimadu, quoted Opeifa as saying although the Western narrow gauge line would have resumed operations earlier, washout along the corridor delayed the process.
He said that NRC engineers were working round the clock to repair damaged tracks with service reactivation expected to reach Offa, Ilorin, Mokwa, Kaduna and ultimately Kano.
The NRC applauded the people of Offa for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding railway assets describing their efforts as exemplary.
He further assured that under his leadership , NRC would not only reactivate the Offa railway line but also revive the Railway Recreation Club, boosting community activities in the town.
Reiterating the importance of Offa in Nigeria’s railway history, Dr. Opeifa promised that the town would be prioritized under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He highlighted NRC’s recent partnerships with five higher institutions including the Federal Polytechnic, Offa to leverage mutual manpower development, underscoring the corporation’s dedication to developing skilled railway professionals.
The NRC boss also revealed that the Corporation is aggressively optimising Nigeria’s railway assets by collaborating with state governments under its “Railing with the states” by reactivating and putting to use its narrow gauge lines, bringing train services closer to the people.
Earlier, Dr. Olagunju commended Dr. Opeifa for transforming the NRC since his appointment noting that the Offa community with the blessing of their traditional ruler looks forward to the return of train operations, a service enjoyed for over 113 years.
In a related development, Dr. Opeifa lauded the Women In Logistics And Transportation (WILAT) for their dedication to professionalism in the sector.
Addressing WILAT members who visited him, he urged them to explore investment opportunities in passenger and freight rail services, taking advantage of new provisions in the amended NRC Act that allow for massive private sector participation.
He pointed out that investors could provide locomotives, coaches and or cargo wagons to operate on NRC lines, with NRC ready to grant Track Access licences for operations just like Lagos State is leveraging this through the Red Line Lagos Metro and CCECC Nigeria Limited for cargo.
Speaking earlier, WILAT Chairperson , Khadijat Shabi congratulated Dr. Opeifa and invited him to their annual event scheduled to July 31st at the Oriental Hotel.
She noted that since its establishment in 2010, WILAT has grown to 28 countries, ensuring women remain at the forefront of logistics and multimodal transportation management.
Railway
NRC, 5 tertiary institutions sign railway skill acquisition pact
NRC, 5 tertiary institutions sign railway skill acquisition pact
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with five tertiary institutions for advanced skills acquisition to deepen railway technology capacity and reduce reliance on costly foreign training,
The MoU was signed with Yaba College of Technology (Lagos), Kwara State Polytechnic (Ilorin), Federal Polytechnic (Offa), Kaduna Polytechnic (Kaduna), and Trinity University (Lagos).
The agreement is also expected to foster collaborative research, technology transfer, and joint training programmes between the NRC and the participating schools, according to a statement from corporation.
Managing Director of NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, described the MoU as a “win-win situation for the nation,” noting it would empower both industry’s workers and students of the institutions through practical training in railway technology, logistics engineering, digital systems, and locomotive maintenance.
“This is not just about skill acquisition. It is about staff development, breaking the ceiling of promotion stagnation, and expanding opportunities for formal education in railway-related fields,” Opeifa said.
He said the collaboration would also make the corporation’s advanced equipment and facilities accessible to students and researchers, while allowing retiring NRC staff to offer their experience through academic engagement as guest lecturers.
While foreign training will still be pursued where necessary, the NRC boss stressed that the local initiative will significantly cut training costs and improve local capacity. “If we can offer that knowledge here, there will be no need to travel abroad. That’s huge savings for the country,” he added.
The Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Dr. Kadir Oluwatoyin, lauded the move, describing it as aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. “This will provide hands-on exposure to our students, internship opportunities, and sabbatical options for staff. It is a bold and commendable move,” he said.
His counterpart at Kwara State Polytechnic, Dr. Abdul Mohammed, noted that the partnership would reduce dependence on expatriates and promote job creation in the long term.
“Once the programme is fully developed, we will have a pool of local talents capable of sustaining the rail industry—home and abroad,” he said.
Railway
Three suspects arrested in Bauchi over intercepted stolen railway slippers
Three suspects arrested in Bauchi over intercepted stolen railway slippers
The Mining Team of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has intercepted a trailer loaded with railway slippers in Bauchi State.
The slippers were hidden beneath sacks of sawdust.
Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Dr Kayode Opeifa, disclosed this in a statement.
The statement was issued by the Deputy Director, Public Relations, at the NRC, Mr Yakub Mahmood.
Opeifa confirmed that three suspects were arrested and that the vehicle and stolen items are now in the NSCDC custody for further investigation.
“The biggest heist in recent times. The NRC Police Command confronted economic saboteurs targeting railway assets nationwide,” he said.
He added that the Nigerian Railway Police and NSCDC have made several arrests, with materials recovered across Bauchi, Kano, Kwara and Gombe states.
This is the biggest heist in recent times. The NRC Police Command confronted economic saboteurs targeting railway assets nationwide,” he said.
He added that the Nigerian Railway Police and NSCDC had made several arrests and recovered a lot of materials across Bauchi, Kano, Kwara and Gombe states.
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