The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has been officially given the 62-kilometer, $3.02 billion Port Harcourt-Aba railway project to operate after the Federal Government completed it.
At a ceremony in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Mr. Ayo Dada, Project Supervisor at the Federal Ministry of Transportation, it has officially turned over the Port Harcourt-Aba segment, which is a part of the larger Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Eastern Narrow Gauge railway project, to the NRC.
Among the assets that have been transferred are 283.060 kilometres of disassembled tracks, 62.800 kilometres of restored mainline and subgrade rail, 5.690 kilometres of sliding lines, and the rebuilding of 27 turnouts at important stations, including Port Harcourt, Elelenwo, Obuzor, Umugo, and Aba.
“The assets handed over include dismantled tracks measuring 283.060 km, rehabilitated and reconstructed 62.800 km of subgrade, and the laying of 62.800 km of rail for the main line.
“This includes the laying of rail for sliding lines covering 5.690 km and the reconstruction of 27 sets of turnouts at Port Harcourt, Elelenwo, Obuzor, Umugo, and Aba Stations, among others,” Dada noted.
Dada emphasized that the project, which was finished in May 2024, has already greatly enhanced the flow of passengers between the states of Rivers and Abia.
Further Details
Dada said the Federal Government would now concentrate on the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri project phase after the Port Harcourt-Aba segment was turned over.
- He went on to say that the Ministry is dedicated to seeing the project through to completion in order to promote national development, and that the contractor had sent the technical specifications and maintenance manual for the Port Harcourt-Aba segment to the consultants.
- The NRC’s Managing Director, Ben Iloanusi, praised the Federal Government and the Ministry of Transportation for the project’s prompt completion and transfer.
Iloanusi, who was represented by Adesegun Ogunade, Deputy Manager (Civil) at NRC, pointed out that the railway has given Nigerians access to reasonably priced modes of transportation.
“Now that the rail line is up and running, it is already assisting in reducing the high transportation costs brought on by economic difficulties,” Iloanusi stated.
He said, “Train services have been operating for a while, and travellers have said that they have found it easier, quicker, and less expensive to go between Port Harcourt and Aba. People are already experiencing the benefits of this government’s policies and programmes.”
Iloanusi emphasised that sufficient security measures have been put in place to protect the safety of both workers and passengers and promised that the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri segment would likewise be finished on time.
“The Federal Government, the Ministry of Transportation, and the presidency have also introduced additional security protocols to guarantee safe and affordable train services for citizens,” he explained, adding that one of the security measures involves the involvement of vigilante groups for additional protection.
What To Note
Work on rebuilding the Eastern Narrow Railway (Port Harcourt–Maiduguri Railway) began in 2022 during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
- The Federal Government and a group of Chinese financiers agreed on March 10, 2021, to finance the restoration and reconstruction of the Eastern Railway for $3 billion. The Federal Government will pay 15% of the cost, while the Chinese syndicate will pay the remaining 85%.
- The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the contractor in charge of track laying, was criticized by Transport Minister Saidu Alkali in September 2023 for its sluggish progress, which he attributed to the manual alignment method.
However, CCECC had finished installing the track for the corridor’s Port Harcourt to Aba segment by January 2024.
