Posted on 19 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The new light rail system in the Nigerian capital Abuja will be in operation by 2012, Senator Adamu Aliero says. The completion date was advanced from 2013 due to the good progress made by the China Civil Engineering ConstructionCorporation (CCECC). While inspecting the work early in February, Aliero was quoted saying: “I think it would [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On 5 February, it was announced jointly by the Nigerian ministry of transport and GE Transportation that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has taken delivery of the first five new C25 six-axle diesel-electric locomotives. The balance of the order for 25 units, intended for both freight and passenger service, is to be shipped during the [...] [...more]
Posted on 05 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On 21 January, Nigerian Federal Government officials met the a delegation from China’s EXIM Bank, which has agreed to a “concessional” loan of $US500 million towards financing rebuilding on the 1,128km Lagos-Kano railway. According to finance minister Dr Mansur Muhtar, Nigeria has met all conditions which included provision of counterpart funding, submission of a feasibility [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Ghanaian minister of transport Mike Hammer told Radio Ghana in an interview that all salary arrears at the Ghana Railway Company (GRC) have been paid by the government. It is rehabilitating the country’s western railway, he was quoted saying, in order to make GRC financially self-sufficient, so that employees’ wages can be paid regularly. [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
According to the Lagos state government, the design for the city’s N170 billion ($US1.2bn) mass transit light rail project has been completed. Enjoying World Bank financial assistance, it will include a 7.75km viaduct, a 3km coastal elevated track and a 610m bridge over sea water. Trains are to run at 100 km/h. It is hoped to [...] [...more]
Posted on 22 January 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
According to Nigeria Railways Corporation (NRC) management, quoted by Chidi Ugwu in The Nation, a $US849 million contract for the construction of a 186km single track line was awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) on 26 October 2009. “This is in addition to the Lagos-Kaduna modernisation project on which construction work is expected [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 December 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
Nathaniel Jonah, writing in the Daily Trust, is openly sceptical about the light rail system in Abuja. Recalling the 2007 promise by former federal capital territory (FCT) minister Adamu Aliero that the city’s road traffic problems were about to be solved through the provision of LRT, “little or nothing has been heard” in two years. [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 December 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
Talking to Daily Trust reporter Nathaniel Jonah about the Abuja light rail system, Fidelis Oleka, a civil servant at the national identity management commission, said his concern is with maintenance issues. “It is not the construction of rail transport that matters, but what happens after they have constructed them and the foreign engineers have gone? [...] [...more]
Posted on 06 December 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved N27 billion for the rehabilitation and purchase of railway facilities including new locomotives. About N14.3 billion has been allocated for the procurement of 25 locomotives, and N12.8 billion to facilities and rehabilitation. According to minister of transport Ibrahim Bio, procurement of workshop tools and equipment will take N400 million, [...] [...more]
Posted on 06 December 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
An article by Benjamin Njoku in the Sunday Vanguard, published in Lagos during March 2009: “Pa Solomon Adesanya (not real name) used to work with Nigeria Re-Insurance Corporation in central Lagos, but resided at Agbado. By 05:30 every day, he would be up and on his way to catch the first train service leaving [...] [...more]
