The Federal Government has assured stakeholders that freight operations on the Lagos-Kano narrow gauge will commence soon.
The Minister of Transportation, Sen. Said Alkali expressed satisfaction with the pace of work during an inspection tour in Kano and hopes that the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), will deliver the project as outlined.
During the inspection, the rail line from the existing narrow gauge to the Dala Inland Dry Port was reviewed, as this is where containers will be dropped. Alkali emphasised the benefits of the project, stating that it will lower the cost of business, reduce the number of road traffic accidents and save highways. This, in turn, will have a multiplier effect on the GDP growth of the country.
Alkali added, “We came all the way from Kano, we drove on the formation that they did, they are doing the earthwork and the culvert. This is a station where they have started preparing the rail lines and the sleepers so that they will use their locomotive to convey the materials on the rail line.” The minister hopes that, by May or June, the corridor will be ready for freight from Lagos to Kano.
