Nigeria to boost rail transportation in 2018

LAGOS: The Nigerian government has concluded plans to boost rail transportation in all the zones of the country in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari said here Monday.

In his address to the nation in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, to mark the beginning of 2018, the Nigerian leader said the rail line was expected to give substantial boost to the country when completed, said a Xinhua news agency.

Buhari said Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge line, which has the capacity to carry two million passengers per year and five million tons of cargo, would reach Ibadan from Lagos by the end of 2019.

The Nigerian leader said the construction of the northern Kano-Kaduna segment was expected to commence this year and reach Kaduna by the end of 2019.

He said the two ends would be joined to ensure that there would be standard gauge railway across the main North-South trading route by the end of 2021.

According to him, the Abuja-Kaduna route will be boosted by additional rolling stock next Thursday to handle one million commuters annually.

Buhari said his administration was determined to link more Nigerian cities through functional modern rail systems in the next few years to give enormous boost to the social and economic life of people.

He said progress on Abuja Capital Light Rail had reached 98 percent completion from 64 percent completion stage in 2015.

According to him, this train service will stimulate economic activities in the Federal Capital and provide residents with an efficient and safe transportation system.