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Inside Railway
•As stakeholders say NRC lacks capacity
By Fidelis Ugbomeh
Based on of management of Nigerian Railway Corporation to repair vandalized narrow gauge railway tracks to facilitate train operation from Lagos to Kano within 3 months, The new Minister of Transportation Sen. Sa’id Ahmed Alkali has called on China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to widen the scope of the Kajola Standard Gauge assembly plant to accommodate assembly of Narrow Gauge wagons.
The ministers call is coming just as key players in the railway sector posited that it is not feasible to commence passenger and freight train service in 3 months time because the corporation has only 5 functional locomotive engines throughout the narrow gauge railway network
While commending the corporation for ithe initiative behind constructing the plant under its social responsibility programme, he that there need assemble more narrow gauge wagons so as to meet the demand for the freighting goods by rail from Lagos to Kano and other parts of the country.
Alkali who made this known during familiarization visit to headquarters of the corporation in Lagos said that presently the standard gauge can only be used to evacuate goods to Ibadan by rail adding that there is need to leverage on the use of existing narrow gauge before the extension of the standard gauge from Ibadan to Kano.
“ I am particular about delay in removal of Nigeria Customs s Service building at A.P Miller terminal which prevented completion of standard gauge rail lines as well as the single track lines to convey containers from Lagos to Kano within 3 months”, the minister said.
He also spoke about the Presidential approval for upward review of special allowances of Nigerian railway personnel adding that it implementation will be closely monitored to ensure compliance
But the president general Nigerian Union of Railway Workers (NUR) comrade Innocent Ajiji opined that it is not feasible to commence long distance freight and passenger transit from Lagos to Kano because the corporation has only 5 functional narrow gauge locomotive engines throughout the whole rail network of the country.
“As I speak 3 of the engines have been designated for Lagos which has the highest passenger and freight traffic for operating that 2 Lagos mass transit train service and shuttling of containers from the ports to Inland container depots within Lagos and back
“The remaining 2 engines have been designated to operate at Zaria and Enugu respectively for short distance passenger traffic adding that how can the corporation operate long distance trips with only 5 fuctioal engines”, Ajiji said.
He however commended the minister for being proactive in promising to ensure that the approved upward review of allowances for railway personnel is implemented.
“ We are happy that All Progressive Congress (APC) won the election so that railway modernization project will not be stalled because from past experience if another party had won the election the project may not be continued,” he noted.
The managing director of Nigerian Railway Corporation Engr Fidet Okhiria said long distance passenger and goods train service was suspended due to insecurity and vandalization of some railway tracks.
According to him, the tracks vandalized have been identified and that work will soon commence on the repairs within one month so as to enhance the movement of goods and passengers through the narrow gauge railway line within the next 3 months from Lagos to Kano and back.
He disclosed that apart from the 120 wagons in the corporation’s narrow gauge fleet, the federal ministry of transport has signed a contract with CCECC for supply of 50 narrow gauge locomotive engines.
“What is delaying supply of the engines now is the counterpart funding by the federal government adding that as soon as the advance payment is made the engines will be supplied” Okhiria said.
Another respondent Mr. Mathew kereku noted that NRC requires at least 15 locomotive engines designated at various districts of the corporation in order to commence a successful train service.
He said one locomotive engine cannot operate a train from Lagos to Kano hence an engine pulling a passenger train from Lagos to Kano should be changed at offa and another at Zaria.
He averred that with the present stock of engines it is not possible to commence passenger train service not to talk of freight service
