Perennial congestion of roads inward Apapa port may find a lasting solution by December when the Federal Government completes the Lagos-Ibadan rail line extension into the port.

The ongoing standard gauge rail line extension project is the major arm of a holistic measure to permanently decongest the busiest port in the country.

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, disclosed the December deadline in response to stakeholders’ calls for proper integration of rails to ports nationwide.

Okhiria told The Guardian at the recent West African Port and Rail Evolution Forum (WA-PoRa) in Lagos that efforts were on to link rail network to ports across the country to take the pressure off the highways, beginning with Lagos.

Recall that the perennial gridlock of trucks and trailers that escalated early 2018 has practically outsmart all executive fiat, but with the hope that an improvement in road networks and rail tracks extension will do some magic.

Besides the ongoing road rehabilitation at the Creek, Burma and Apapa-Oshodi expressway sections of the corridor, the Presidential Task Force on Apapa Gridlock is already in place to manage free-flow of traffic inwards the port area.

Okhiria said right now, serious work is ongoing on the rail line, and the Lagos State government is supporting the progress of the construction.

“They are making the right of way available. If you go to the railway compound, you will see that they have started the drainages and already trying to create that link to Apapa.

“It is going to be a modern rail system and it will be in such a way that we will have train-to-train communication. No train will run into another because the drivers will be able to talk to one another. By the time we finish, we should be able to move out of the port every 10 minutes,” he said.

The MD explained that the rail track extension means massive cargo movement from the port, with 30 wagons to be deployed to ferry 20 to 30 containers each directly from the port daily.

“They will be linked to the seaside so that you can offload directly from the ship to the wagons. By December, 2019, we should get to the ports.

“We are making tremendous progress. As we speak, we can comfortably be on a train from Iju to Ibadan terminal. We have not started operating at the station yet because we want the station to be developed, which they are building and by October or November, 2019, the stations will be in good condition,” he said.

Concerned stakeholders had earlier called for the integration of rail network to ports to aid free movement of goods nationwide.

Portfolio Director of transport for DMG events, Daniel Block, said there is no quantifying the gains that await more dependence on rail for goods at the port.

“The traffic in Lagos is much and the roads are not in great conditions. The bridges are unstable. So, if the rail system is created or upgraded to take cargo from the ports into the rest of the city and into neighbouring states, and so on, it will free up the roads.

“All those trucks sitting on the roads don’t need to be there. If there can be a parking lot for the trucks and if there is a rail system, to take all the containers from the port into the rest of the country, it means the roads will be freed up. If you upgrade your systems, it will impact the rest of the city and force the rest of the city to upgrade its roads, there will be more hotels and businesses,” Block said.

Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Daniel Dargent, added that Belgium is ready to assist Nigeria and West Africa in general, in the area of expertise to develop connectivity in the railways and ports.

“Connectivity is important. You need to transfer your goods and passengers in good time. If you produce agricultural products in the northern part of Nigeria, and you cannot transport them by road or rail to the port to export them, then you lose a lot.

“Nigeria is a large country with over 200million inhabitants or even more. So, we need to organise the exchange of goods and if you don’t have the connectivity, everything will be damaged. Apart from agricultural products, we have industrial products; and this connectivity is key for development,” Dargent said.

Group Managing Director of Grolla Port Services, the exclusive DMG partner for WA-PoRa, Graham Lawal, said besides the infrastructure development, the government must also encourage private investors to invest heavily in rail networks in Nigeria and West Africa.

Lawal said the big businesses are still being done by the governments, and until private sector can put down $1.5 billion for new rail networks across Africa, then government will not stop relying on foreign loans to enhance the infrastructure.

Source: https://guardian.ng/features/fresh-hope-for-apapa-as-fg-links-rail-to-port-by-december/amp/

Hope it will come to pass

By the time we finish, we should be able to move out of the port every 10 minutes,” he said.

By December, 2019, we should get to the ports.

Not bad try to keep the date. Y'all need to get to other ports expeditiously (in T.I's voice).

30 wagons to be deployed to ferry 20 to 30 containers each directly from the port daily.

Can't you guys stack the containers on top of eachother or would that unsafe at the trains speed. I've seen it dont and took picture when I was on the road. If you can you'll get 60 containers moved daily.

sounds good... but lets see it happen first

To be frank nice idea are always birth but the implementation and the finishing is what matters, I hope this won't be one of the numerous say without doing anything.btw our other ports needs attention too no be only APAPA port we get


CHECK MY PROFILE, your electronics at best prices

A New Dawn For Nigeria
Sitting relaxed,atop a cool grass-field rock, Jutting out proudly over the calm blue ocean �

I stared in stoned-wonder,help captive by the magnificent rising of the yellow sun ☀️

Ascending,Gracefully across the serene horizon And ushering in the bright and long awaited new world �

A world free from the shackles of Religion
Unheld by the chains of Ethnicity, Devoid of the differences in Colour

A world wrapped up in the warm covers of Peace Overshadowed by the immutable display of inestimable Love ❤️

A world tongue-deep in sincere Equality Lacking the Political,Social,and Economic Segregation
Where non is Poor or Hungry

A violence free community where morality stand overall scoring on all points,in all ramifications

I see a World where there are no foes but friends,where the lions � lie closely with the lambs sharing,caring,and rapturously cherishing one another

A world where the Natural unites with the Supernatural to form a Universal Positive Whole stamped with Truth and Justice...

This New World which I speak of begins with you��

You can make a difference,I can make a change and together we can all make Nigeria �� a better day

If their December won't turn to another 4 years

uzedo1:
Hope it will come to pass

Will be,
Will soon...
Will, will, will.

We can only hope

I hope so.

The kind hold up we dey lagos now especially that Apapa area eh, na die o.

Please let it be concluded

Complete this, and the badagry cms light rail and we will have a hitch free lagos, traffic wise

Yet still some morons are calling for revolution when we r finally getting there. Saboteurs

But there is a rail track inside the Port since 70s and it's still functions till now .FG should find another lie

Sojicool:
But there is a rail track inside the Port since 70s and it's still functions till now .FG should find another lie

This barawo bubu and his Alliance of Past/Present Criminals, APC are born liars hence they have LIE Mohammed as their spokesman and propaganda minister.
How appropriate.


www.nairaland.com/attachments/3356469_screenshot20160131120000_jpeg639beaec46d4ced684f639998a489af2

This december abi 2030 december

I just hope the traffic gridlock won't be much


Verified WeChat and Alipay wallet/accountbavailable

Lavyanna:
Complete this, and the badagry cms light rail and we will have a hitch free lagos, traffic wise

Please repeat after me- Something that is existing already does not need completion.
Say it 100 times until you get it.
We need to evacuate all the lies of barawo bubu and his Alliance of Past/Present Criminals, APC from the minds of our people.
That is a task that must be done urgently.

NRC moves 3,200 tonnes of goods from Lagos ports in July
August 22, 2016

The Nigerian Railway Corporation moved 3,200 tonnes of goods out of Apapa ports by rail in its freight services in July, Jerry Oche, the Lagos District Manager, has said.
Oche told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos that the rail freight services helped to remove about 160 trucks off the roads last month.
He said: “We just started rail freight services and we now move containers from Lagos to Kano with two train services a week and each train moves 500 tonnes.
“We are moving fertilizers from Lagos to Kaduna and from Lagos to Gombe with two trains a week and each train moves 600 tonnes.
“We also moved pipes from Lagos ENL Port Terminal to Zaria, with two trains a week and each train moves 600 tonnes.”
According to Oche, each train has 20 wagons and each wagon moves 30 tonnes of goods, while most trucks could only move 20 tonnes.
He said: “If a haulage firm wants to move 1,200 tonnes of goods, it will need about 60 trucks, which may affect operations and logistics at the port.
“Whereas only two trains will be needed to move them, thus preventing road accidents and making our roads last longer.”
Oche said many haulage firms had started making enquiries about the corporation’s freight services on the movement of their heavy goods.
He said: “A lot of people and companies want to be convinced that we can do it, move their goods up to different parts of the country.
“Some even assumed that railway is dead but we’re slowly but steadily coming back.”
Oche said the rail freight services was helping to decongest the ports.
He said the corporation had also partnered with haulage firms on the movement of heavy goods from Lagos to different parts of the country.
Oche said the rehabilitation of tracks linking coastal tank farms was underway to allow optimal use of pressurised tank wagons for lifting of petroleum products by rail.

http://theeagleonline.com.ng/nrc-moves-3200-tonnes-of-goods-from-lagos-ports-in-july/

Na today we begin hear promises?

I thought it's even a passenger train? So it's only cargo train

Okay I hear una .. when passenger train go start work

book bet

Is this real or a propaganda

Onlinealaba:
To be frank nice idea are always birth but the implementation and the finishing is what matters, I hope this won't be one of the numerous say without doing anything.btw our other ports needs attention too no be only APAPA port we get


CHECK MY PROFILE, your electronics at best prices

They have started already, before the information. Optimism is best

Wait ooo.. Why don't we have all these supersonic high tech speed � in Nigeria. Or do we have passion for old technologies someone should enlighten me please. Cause I don't see the reason why Nigeria as a country will be importing 17th century locomotive engines when others are celebrating 1000km per hour.

U

The road is rough, the tasks are tough, but one right step at a time at the right direction, we shall get there.

uuzba:


Will be,
Will soon...
Will, will, will.

We can only hope

Even if you are blind, you should hear sounds of caterpillars and escalators working on the rail tracks.

pattythyme1:
If their December won't turn to another 4 years

This is not PDP government of chop I chop.

lilytender:


Even if you are blind, you should hear sounds of caterpillars and escalators working on the rail tracks.

He is either Igbo or PDP?