Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway begins commercial operation Jan – Amaechi

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line will commence full commercial operation in January next year.
He said on Friday that the $1.6bn railway project would be fully completed in December this year 2021.
He spoke during a television programme on AIT, which was attended virtually by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.
The transportation minister said he would partner Fashola and Lagos State Government to move cargoes from roads to rail.

Amaechi said this would start with the new Lagos-Ibadan rail line.

He said, “I intend to approach him (Fashola) in January and approach the Lagos State governor so that we can see how we can deal with Apapa. Why I said that is because by December to first or second week in January, we should have completed the Lagos-Ibadan.

“Then if we do, there will be a need to decide what vehicles can go to Lagos and the capacity of such vehicles or trucks.”

Amaechi added, “If we do that, we can then transfer all the cargoes that come from Apapa seaport to the railway. We believe we could transfer that up till Ibadan while we are still constructing the rail line from Ibadan to Kano.”
Apart from movement of heavy cargoes, he said the new rail line would also help decongest major cities in Lagos as many people could live in Ibadan and work in Lagos.
The minister stated that in two to three years, the Ibadan-Kano rail line would have been substantially done to move more cargoes on the rail line.

He said, “In the next two to three years, we will see how much we would have tried to complete the Ibadan to Kano line. The more we are able to move these cargoes out of the road, then we can save our roads.

“Similarly, the same thing will happen from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. So, I agree completely with the works minister, Babatunde Fashola, and I say to Nigerians to be more patient with us and allow us work to complete the projects.”
Fashola, while responding to a question, said Nigerian roads would not last without functional rail lines.
“I am his biggest champion when he (Amaechi) is presenting his request in the cabinet for the rails because I know that without the rail the roads will not last,” Fashola said.

He added, “The tankers are plying excess cargo; they are moving 60,000 tonnes instead of 33,000, 40,000 or 45,000 tonnes maximum. So, the best way is to move all that cargo into the tracks.

“That is what happens in countries we want to be like and that is where we are heading. So, he (Amaechi) has my support.”