The federal government has announced that the Lagos-Kano narrow gauge rail line is poised to commence freight services.
The minister of transportation, Saidu Alkali, disclosed this during a visit to the project site in Kano state on Thursday.
The minister said “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 minister 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 terms of specifications but the impression I have from the last visit I came, 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.
“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 Faira to Maradi in 2026 and Dutse to Kano in 2026.”
The contractors, China civil engineering construction corporation (CCECC), disclosed that the line had been successfully linked to the Zawaciki Dala dry port in Kano, a pivotal commercial centre in the state.
Alkali emphasised that initiating freight operations would not only prolong the lifespan of the nation’s highways but also contribute to reducing the alarming number of auto accident-related fatalities among Nigerians.
