At least four major rail lines across the country will be completed this year, the Federal Government has said.
According to the government, the branch line from Kafanchan to Kaduna is expected to be completed this month, while the target completion date for the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri standard gauge rail line is before the end of this year.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transport, Mr. Nebolisa Emodi, disclosed in a document made available to our correspondent on Sunday that the government had been able to complete many rail lines and would finish the rehabilitation and construction of many others before the end of 2014.
He said, “The 1,124km Lagos-Kano line is completed and functional, while work on the 1,657km Eastern line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri is progressing steadily with the Port Harcourt-Jos station, including the branch line from Kafanchan to Kaduna, expected to be completed by August 2014.
“Completion of the construction and rehabilitation of the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri standard gauge rail line is 77 per cent completed, with the entire track laid. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.
“Also, construction of the Abuja (Idu)-Kaduna standard gauge rail line is 85 per cent done, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.”
Emordi had on Friday told a peer review team of permanent secretaries from federal ministries that the FMT was able to rehabilitate the loop lines along the Western line, including the connection to key industrial locations within Apapa.
He said other major achievements in the rail transport sector were the completion of 74 stations and branch lines between Lagos and Kano, and the 300-metre link between the Apapa Port Complex and the national line, adding that the spur line to the Kaduna power plant complex had commenced and the project would be completed by the end of this year. Punch
