Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Project

Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Project

The Federal government of Nigeria recently embarked on some key rail projects within the country. One of the key rail projects is the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail project. The Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail tracks spans 156km.

According to the vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the national rail project will create up to half a million jobs and facilitate the movement of up to 3.2 million tons of cargo per annum. It will also reduce the burden on national highways thus reducing the deterioration of the road network and increasing the life span of Nigerian roads. The vice president noted that railway network will support efforts to diversify the economy and enhance export potentials, adding that just as several of the Nigerian cities have been known as railway towns in the past, it is expected to boost economic activities within the railway lines that will eventually cut across the entire country.

On March 28, 2020, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) announced that it has completed the track laying for the train station which marks the fact that the railway is getting one step closer to opening to traffic. This also marks the commencement of the second segment of the rail project which is the new 2,733kilometres Lagos-Kano standard gauge rail project. The Lagos-Ibadan rail project is the first double-track standard gauge modern railway in West Africa.

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The Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi accompanied by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed and officials of the NRC and NPC paid a visit to the project site recently. The commissioning of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway is expected to take place in January 2021.

When fully operational, the Lagos Ibadan railway line project is expected to have 10 stations with trains operating at a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour.