Posted on 19 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) chairman Alhaji Bello Haliru Mohammed told newsmen in Lagos that the rail rehabilitation project across the country is at top gear and that restoration of service between Lagos and Kano is only “a matter of weeks” away. The corporation has taken delivery of 15 out of the 25 locomotives ordered from [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is set to commence the Enugu leg of its intra-city mass transit train service on 26 July 2010. This follows the inauguration of service at Kano on 5 July, where patronage has been excellent. Three new halts have been provided and three existing stations have been renovated. The corporation has [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
According to press reports, residents of the Nigerian capital Abuja are sceptical about the city’s new light rail lines – there is a lack of visible progress and there are queries as to whether the most deserving parts of the city are to be served. Fidelis Oleka, a civil servant at the national identity management [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
According to This Day (published in Lagos), “A visit to the headquarters of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Ebute Metta, Lagos reveals the parlous state to which the corporation has sunk over the years. Abandoned coaches and disused train equipment litter the premises. The weather-beaten structures that serve as offices bore testimony to the long [...] [...more]
Posted on 02 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The Nigerian Federal Government has injected a total of N12 billion in repairing the Jebba-Kano railway. According to Costain Engineering’s Bennet Perry, a total of 640km is involved. Altogether, 76 bridges are to be reinforced, though two at Akere – destroyed by floods – require complete rebuilding. “The major area of focus between Jebba and [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Tracks newly laid for the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in the Lagos area have been washed away at Agege, Yaba, and Ebute Meta by floodwaters following torrential rainfall. Ballast stones were carried off and the right of way submerged. Between Ebute Meta and Iddo terminus, several sections were flooded, as well as the Ebute Meta railway [...] [...more]
Posted on 28 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Commissioner for Nigeria’s Enugu Capital Territory John Egbo, delivering a lecture at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), disclosed that the state government is to introduce the monorail “as a major means of intra-city transportation.” The move is part of “a serious look at the environment,” and he added that the government is open [...] [...more]
Posted on 18 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) managing director Adeseyi Sijuwade has welcomed the safe arrival of the first of the new GE locomotives at Kano. He was quoted saying: “The arrival of the locomotive engine in Kano signifies the success of the first steps in our efforts towards launching a new era in rail transport system in [...] [...more]
Posted on 14 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
According to Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) managing director Adeseyi Sijuwade, the verification of pensioners begun in November 2009 has created a dependable database reflecting the total number of pensioners (19,033) and the financial implications of their unpaid pensions. Those who have died were included, through verification of their next-of-kin. He appealed to the government to [...] [...more]
Posted on 07 May 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Tadaferua Ujorha, writing about the east of Nigeria in the Daily Trust, observes: “Today, the trains run just twice a week, as opposed to every day, as it was in the past. Things have gone downhill, in a manner of speaking. The railway station looks forlorn under the intense afternoon sun, and the staff are [...] [...more]
Posted on 25 April 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Columnist Umar Shuaibu, writing in the Nigerian press, questions the feasibility of the metro system currently under construction in the capital, Abuja. He points out: “Our observation of the priority areas in this project is its relegation of the actual traffic generation points to later phases. This is because, with the exception of phase 1 [...] [...more]
Posted on 25 April 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
New Nigerian minister of transport Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman has visited the headquarters of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in Ebutte Meta, Lagos, to inspect progress with rehabilitating the system. Expessing satisfaction with what he saw, he confidently predicted that “Before the end of this year, we will have reliable, efficient rail mass transit in five [...] [...more]
