The Federal Government has announced the imminent commencement of freight services on the Lagos-Kano narrow gauge rail line.
This revelation came to light during the Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali’s visit to the project site in Kano State on Thursday, where the contractors shared updates and conducted an on-the-spot inspection.
According to the contractors, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, the line has been linked to the Zawaciki Dala Dry Port in Kano, the state’s commercial hub.
Minister Alkali emphasized that initiating freight operations would not only prolong the lifespan of the nation’s highways but also contribute to reducing fatalities resulting from auto accidents among Nigerians.
He acknowledged significant progress since his initial visit and expressed satisfaction with the project’s pace. Furthermore, he disclosed plans to divide the project into segments to streamline the process, ensuring efficiency and prompt completion.
He noted, “This is the second leg of my inspection since I took over as the minister of Transportation and the essence of the inspection is to see by myself with a team from the Ministry of Transportation and Engineers from the Railway Corporation and the consultant and the contractors, so that we ensure compliance in term of time and in term of specifications.
“But the impression I have from the last visit I came is that the progress is remarkable from what I have seen.
“We came all the way from Kano, we drove on the formation that they did, they are doing the earthwork and the culvert and this is a station where they have started preparing the rail lines and the slippers so that they will use their locomotive to convey the materials on the rail line.”
The minister also said that, “I have just discussed with the contractor, we are going to segment the project by the grace of God. We are going to put Kano-Daura next year and Daura to Maradi in 2026 and Dutse to Kano in 2026.”