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State governors, particularly in the South West have been enjoined to partner with the private sector and Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to promote investment in construction of access roads and well-equipped container terminals along the railway corridor.
This is as long queues of articulated vehicles have continued to form various shapes into Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in a bid to load imported containerized goods as well as offload export goods and return empty containers.
Director of operations (Railway Desk), Bueno Logistics Limited, Mr. Paul Ndibe, who made this call in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, said the private sector should take the initiative by constructing well-equipped container terminals near the train stations along the standard and narrow gauge railway corridors.
He sought support of state governments, especially Ogun and Oyo state governments, in the constriction of access roads to the railway terminals at Kajola/Papalanto, Abeokuta and Moniya railway terminals so as to enhance easy access of trucks and by extension reduce the current long queues of trucks waiting evacuate imports and exports in and out of from Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.
The operations director also advised importers and shipping companies to seek alternative modes of evacuating their imports to inland container depots within Lagos by rail and barges, instead of concentrating on the road mode as presently obtains.
According to him, “this can be achieved if shipping companies destined for Lagos review their documentations to include the option of moving containers by rail to the rail side terminals for easy access to trucks.”
Ndibe explained further that shipping companies are in a better position to advice importers from the port of origin on the best options to use in exiting their imports from the Apapa port while importers have a choice to make to either use rail mode to move their containers to inland container terminals at Iddo and Ebute-Metta through narrow or standard gauge railway lines for onward transfer by road to their various destination or completely rely on the road mode.
He posited that the use of alternative modes like rail and barges will to a large extent reduce waiting time, long queues, bumper to bumper movements and extortion usually associated with utilizing the road mode before accessing the port gate to evacuate imports and return empty containers respectively.
Ndibe averred that with the increasing number of goods imported into the country especially during this yelutide, containers can be evacuated by rail from A.P Miller terminal to container terminals at Iddo and Ebute-Metta Apapa by rail where trucks are stationed to move such consignments by road to their owners.
According to him empty containers could also be returned to the Apapa Port by rail after the consignments have been offloaded, while exports can as well be moved by rail to the port terminal through the service of Bueno Logistics, in partnership with Nigerian Railway Corporation.
Traders, squatters rebuild demolished structures along railway lines
Barely four months after the outcry that greeted the burning of illegal shops and shanties along the railway line at Fagba, Iju area of Lagos, and dislodgement of illegal traders along the railway line at Fagba, the illegal occupants have started to rebuild their makeshift structures.
When DAILY SUN visited Fagba railway line recently, some squatters were seen rebuilding illegal structures burnt with planks, zinc and tarpaulin while others simply engaged in exchange of words and fighting under the slightest provocation.
At Agbado railway station, the traders have vacated the middle of railway lines earlier occupied before dislodgement by Lagos State task force and relocated to the front of railway police station, while traders and beggers earlier dislodged at Agege and Oyingbo, to mention but a few, have returned with full force without any resistance from relevant government agencies.
Reacting to this development, Lagos district manager of the corporation, Engr. Augustine Arase, stated that the demolition of structures along the railway corridor was a routine exercise carried out by a combined team of Nigerian Railway Police and Lagos State task force.
He advised people trading along the railway lines to desist as the combined team can at any time embark on periodic demolition of illegal structures and shanties along railway lines.
Arase averred that trading along the railway line was illegal and that staff allegedly involved in the collection of stipends from traders would be disciplined according to the Railway Act.
In July this year, Lagos State task force, led by its chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye, commenced the enforcement of plans by the government to reclaim portions of roads and spaces near railway tracks.
The chairman had during the burning exercise at Fagba (near Abattoir), decried the state of decadence brought about by activities of squatters and traders.
He said further that enforcement took place first through burning and this would be followed by monitoring and then sustenance.
Red Line
Online booking: No cash payment before boarding trains, NRC cautions passengers
After the initial lull and chaos that heralded the introduction of online booking by the management of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on November 1, 2023, for passengers en route Lagos-Ibadan and Warri-Itakpe standard gauge railway corridor, there has been remarkable improvement in the number of passengers making payments online.
According to the Lagos district manager of the corporation, Engr. Augustine Arase, prospective passengers book online through the Nigerian Railway Corporation’s portal and not payment of cash at the ticket counters as obtained in the past.
He noted that each propective passenger is expected to fill a registration form indicating National Identity Card number, e-mail number, date of travel, coach and destination before making payments through transfer with automated teller card, after which a code will displayed.
Arase explained further that: “After making payment, eligible passengers then proceed to the railway station ticketing office for authentification of the code generated and a receipt would be issued at the ticket counter to such passenger before boarding the train.”
As for passengers who cannot book online from the comfort of their homes, he stated that such passengers can make their bookings at the train stations within three minutes of arrival.
He advised passengers to arrive the train stations 30 minutes before departure so as to complete the process of booking early enough.
The district manager posited that, in order to ensure that passengers board the train from Lagos to Ibadan at the stop over stations nearest to their residence, the train scheduled stop over and pick passengers at Agbado and Papalanto.
