By JONAH NWOKPOKU
The Federal Government has said it has identified about nineteen railway routes that will be upgraded to standard gauge lines.
The newly appointed chairman of Board of Directors, Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje stated this during an interactive session with news men after an experiential train ride from Ebute-Metta Junction to Ikeja in Lagos.
“We intend to focus our attention onthe full rehabilitation of the eastern rail lines and that will commence after we have increased the frequency of our traffic on the already rehabilitated lines. We also intend to open up new rail lines and to start the construction of standard gauge lines which is our next innovation. Already, about nineteen stations have been identified for that purpose,” he said.
Nigeria Railway has been operating on the narrow gauge lines that do not allow for optimum speed. This upgrade to wider standard gauge lines will allow for more speed efficiency.
Baraje who was on his first official visit to the railway headquarters as the new chairman of the Board of Directors commended the management of the corporation on their rehabilitation efforts as he pledged that his team will consolidate on the ground works already done.
“After all the places we have visited and what we have seen, the impression that we have is that a lot of work has been done and we intend to build upon that ground work already done by the Managing Director, Engr. Adeseyi Sijuade and his team. We would work with him to sustain the transformation agenda of the present administration in revitalizing the railway,” he said.
Earlier he and his team embarked on an inspection tour of the different facilities of the corporation, where he visited the local workshop, where the wheel-less machines are maintained, the coaches and wagonsmaintenance workshop, the training school and the railway clinic.
On his assessment, he said that what he saw showed that there has been high level of decay because of the long years of neglect.
“After over 25 years of neglect, one cannot expect anything less. But the government has renewed its commitment to bringing back the railway and we have been seeing positive actions in that regard. That shall continue until the railway will be fully revitalized,” he said.
He further disclosed that the corporation’s next focus would be onthe full revival of the eastern axis after increasing the regular traffic onthe already rehabilitated western lines.

Source www.vanguardngr.com

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The project has been implemented on the newspaper

no b 2 just talk 4 mouth.. let dem do it

GEJ is working, the oppositions are sympathising with terrorists

xxyz17: GEJ is working, the oppositions are sympathising with terrorists

and creating new set of occultist terrorist

FG should stop feeding us with a furtile stories every nw and then.that won't justify their flaws cos nigerians are not fools.We are waiting for RESULT and until then,I'l pretend I havn't read this story.

This is a positive step in the right direction. Someone's got to take that bold gigantic step.

I sincerely hope they will keep to their words this time around. God bless Nigeria

wit the old train??

I don't like promises and plans that have no deadline. Oga Director of NRC when is this going to start? I think it's time we start asking these politicians to give us specific time frame for these wonderful promises so that we can easily hold them accountable, for all I care this may take another 2 years to start. At least I now know that Fashola is running behind schedule in his mini-rail project because he gave us a specific date. Minister of Works promised that work on 2nd Niger bridge will start in April, this is June and am still waiting. Let them stop raising our hopes if they are not ready to fulfill them. Obj launched rail transport master plan that will connect all state capitals but gave no timing so no one could hold him accountable and he left Aso rock with the plan in his pocket. South westerners promised themselves rail lines that will connect their states, years later we haven't seen a single pillar because nobody told us when it'll start or be completed.

Laudable.

xxyz17: GEJ is working, the oppositions are sympathising with terrorists

the word, 'to' is synonymous to the feds. it alwys ends with news like, 'upgrading 0f 19 rails not achievable. nigeria will be broke if we do it-NOI'

the word 'has started' or 'av upgraded' is synonymous to the others u called 'terrorist sympathizer'.

someone shld be a fool here. someone who doesnt knw the winning side. someone like u

So? C story o, dm neva finish all d main road 4 naija, nah rail b nxt tin? ?

I hope they do that because it will a venture of embezzlement for the theives in the government.
Anyway,it is a nice development on rail transportation.

Deliver lag-iB high speed train before 2015 and earn a re-election.

We've heard this since the era of Shehu Shagari. Every govt used it to loot. A country where electricity is essential commodity is talking to standard railway. Nigeria can't produce enough food to feed it's people.

We are all waiting for the action.

"FG To..." We are on a looooong thing again!

Can This Ppl Shut The Front Door And Work?? FG To.. FG To!! And Nothin On Ground To Show Us!!

[size=30]WE GIVE UP!![/size]

When a politician preface his statement with "we intend to ..." you know everything that follows is hot air. Nigeria!

GEJ FOR 2015.

SLIDE waxie: the word, 'to' is synonymous to the feds. it alwys ends with news like, 'upgrading 0f 19 rails not achievable. nigeria will be broke if we do it-NOI'

the word 'has started' or 'av upgraded' is synonymous to the others u called 'terrorist sympathizer'.

someone shld be a fool here. someone who doesnt knw the winning side. someone like u

Ok

Okay. I am going 'to' remain on this thread for the next five seconds.

U wil hv 2 qoute me in some few months time d@ i olready said Nigerians shld nt expect +ve outcome 4rm dis man. Dis is d problem of our leaders, everyfin hs turned 2 politics. 4 those who knows d said man wil bear me witness & those wu don't, only time shall tell

xxyz17:
Ok

smart answer. I take back the insults

SLIDE waxie: smart answer. I take back the insults

wise response.

I hope they keep to their promises this time, i know the unplesant experiences we go through everytime we board the outdated, poorly maintained coaches. Trying to board it is another battle and its usually late, plus its administrator have no developmental plan despite huge sums made daily. We await to see them do the talk.