naptu2:
Apapa Station before rehabilitation.

miky:

it would take 60-90 trucks off the road!! are you not happy with that.. the slow trains are manageable, building a new one from scratch would require nothing less than 60 billion dollars and years... do you suggest we wait? and where do we get that kind of money?

[size=14pt]Nigeria: NRC Reopens Passenger Train Services in Apapa[/size]

21st Oct 2011.

In its bid to provide transport solution in the Lagos metropolis, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Wednesday reopened train operations in Apapa station.

The Public Relations Officer, Mr. Segun Esan who disclosed this in a telephone interview with Daily Champion said the passenger turnout was very impressive.

He stated that the first train carried over 2000 passengers from Apapa to Ijoko in Ogun state.

The development may indicate the beginning of decongestion of traffic gridlock that has become part of daily features of Apapa as most passengers could now be conveyed by train.

"NRC on Wednesday commenced train services from Apapa to Ijoko, the first train conveyed not less than 2000 passengers" he said.

Meanwhile in a recent chat Daily Champion the Railway District Manager (RDM) Lagos District, Mr. John Dottie said the frequency of the mass transit train has been increased to three times daily from Ijoko in Ogun state to Ebute-Metta in Lagos.

Dottie stated that the mass transit train services which is run by the district carry over 9000 passengers on a daily basis.

This, he said was made possible by the new locomotives the federal government acquired in its bid to revitalise the nation's railway system.

Dottie said the district recently introduced the business class, adding that plans are under way to provide train service on the route on hourly basis.

"With support from Federal Government and our management, we have introduced the business class on this mass transit trains, we have air-conditioned coaches with inbuilt television sets, and its well patronised by members of the public" he said.

According to him, the corporation makes at over N1 million everyday on passengers trains alone, adding that once the rehabilitation on the lines were completed the freight trains service would commence.

"Where can make good money is the freight trains, we are just waiting for rehabilitation work to be completed on the track for us to start running freight trains, as I am talking to you Four Mills have written to us because we used to carry goods for them to Kano and Maiduguri and we also carry for Dangote" he said.

He said that individuals, oil marketers and big business concerns are all warming for commencement of freight trains, adding that the resumption of freight train services in the country will take a lot stress of the road and also reduce carnages that have bedevilled the nation's road since the collapse of the rail system.

[size=14pt]Why rehabilitated port rail system is not in use - NPA[/size]

FRANCIS EZEM 06/04/2012 02:21:00

The Nigerian Ports Authority has said that the poor state of the national rail lines is taking its toll on the efficiency of the rails at the nation’s major seaports, thus, hampering efficient release of cargo.Managing Director of the authority, Mallam Oman Suleiman, who spoke shortly after flagging off of the 1.6kilometer road at the Apapa Ports Complex, said the authority appreciates the role of efficient rail system in modern seaport operations, especially in terms of hitch free and timely release of cargo. According to him, the authority has realised of the important role of efficient rail system and rehabilitated the rails at the LPC, Apapa, but regretted that the rail lines are not currently in use due to extraneous factors.He noted that the poor state of the national rail system has made it practically impossible for the port rails to work, arguing that the rails at the port need those of the national guage to function.

[size=13pt]“When a train takes off from the port, it goes to the cargo destination through the national rail lines but since the national rail lines are not working for now, there is little or nothing those at the ports will do in terms of moving goods in and out of the ports”, Suleiman noted.[/size]

He also disclosed that in addition to the completion of the rehabilitation of the Apapa Port rail systems, the authority is working on the rails at the Port Harcourt Ports with a view to making them efficient.

In addition, it was gathered that the authority is working on building of rail systems at the Tin Can Island Port, also in Apapa, which were hurriedly built in the 1970s without rails to decongest Apapa and Port Harcourt Ports arising from the post-war construction importation.

The managing director had argued that in as much as the authority is committed to en-throning multi-modalism in the nation’s port system, the rails at the ports will not work if the national rail lines are not functional.

Stakeholders have argued that Nigeria needs to enthrone a regime of multi-modal transport system that connects all the different transport modes for the ports to be efficient.

According to the stakeholders, Nigeria need a transport policy that emphasises the use of the major transport modes like the road, rail and sea for individual mode to be efficient, arguing that until that is done, Nigeria would continue to face serious transport challenges.

Meanwhile, there has been immence pressure on land transport with the attendant high cost of maintaining the roads due to the failure of other transport modes, especially wa-ter and rail.While blaming the Nigerian Waterways Authority for fail-ing to live up to its responsibility of making the waterways navigable, they believe the current pressure on the roads will reduce if water transport is encouraged.

On the failure of the rail system, experts believe that the rail sector has over the years become a conduit pipe to siphon the nation’s resources from the days of the military regimes to the current democratic dispensation.

[size=14pt]NRC commences third weekly Lagos-Kano train service[/size]

2013-07-20 23:00:49

The Nigerian Railway Corporation has increased its weekly Lagos-Kano passenger train service to three with the introduction of another train as part of the first phase Capacity Enhancement Programme.

A statement by the NRC on Friday noted that the new train service will depart Iddo (Lagos) at 11.00am and is scheduled to arrive in Kano at 5pm the following day.

The statement signed by Assistant Director (Public Relations), Mr. David Ndakotsu, said that the introduction of this service would result in an increase in the number of passengers moved between Lagos and Kano, from the present 3,500 weekly to about 5,500 weekly.

It will be recalled that the first weekly Lagos to Kano passenger train service, which departs Lagos at 12 noon on Friday commenced on December 21, 2012.

Later, the second weekly train service was introduced, departing Lagos at 9am on Tuesday and terminating in Ilorin with a connecting service from Offa to Kano.

The statement explained that it is anticipated that the introduction of the third weekly Lagos to Kano passenger train service would help to decongest existing services and avail passengers a more comfortable and pleasant journey.

It disclosed that the next service to be introduced in the corporation's Capacity Enhancement Programme would be the haulage of bran and wheat flour for Dufil Prima foods (Indomie).

It said that 436 tonnes of the product were expected to be moved weekly from Apapa to Kaduna, adding that the service would commence before the end of July.

[size=13pt]"Furthermore the corporation will in August commence the haulage of container freight from APM terminal in Apapa Port to Inland Container Nigeria Limited, container depots in Kaduna and Kano," the statement said.[/size]

The NRC Managing Director, Mr. Seyi Sijuwade, had also confirmed that the intended public private partnership initiatives would further enhance the capacity of train services across the country.

[size=14pt]GE’s $1B Investment In Cross River: Sambo, Imoke, Angbazor Lead Groundbreaking Ceremony[/size]

19/06/2013 05:53:00 THEWILL

[img]http://thewillnigeria.com/thumbnail.php?file=ngf13_514021300.jpg&size=article_medium[/img]

L-R; PHEL GRIFFTH OF GENERAL ELECTRIC; MINISTER OF POWER PROF. CHINNEDU NEBO; MR. SAMUEL ARTOM; VP NAMADI SAMBO; GOV LIYEL IMOKE & VICE CHAIRMAN G.E, MR. JOHN RICE DURING THE GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY OF GENERAL ELECTRIC'S FACILITY IN CALBAR. JUNE 18, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, (THEWILL) - Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo; Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke; General Electric’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lazarus Agbazor; and Vice Chairman, GE, Mr. John Rice, Tuesday led the groundbreaking ceremony of General Electric's $1bn (N160B) multi model service and manufacturing facility located at the Calabar Free Trade zone.
 
In 2009, General Electric signed a landmark country-to-company agreement with the Federal Government aimed at forging a strategic partnership that will see the two parties working together on high growth opportunities and investments in support of vision 2020 and in January, 2013, the federal government and GE of the United States sealed the $1bn investment for the establishment of a new manufacturing and assembly facility in Calabar.
 
Also at the groundbreaking ceremony were the Global Supply Chair Leader of GE, Mr. Phel Griffith; Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo; and Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Mr. Samuel Artom.
 
Faith played itself out when the initiative of the Governor, then serving Minister of Power and Steel was instrumental to the setting up of a framework where an MOU was signed between GE and FGN mandating GE to setup a plant in Nigeria way back in 2004. GE settled for Calabar, Cross River State without any influence from the State Government.
 
In the words Governor Imoke, “Cross River State has remained at the fore-front of Tourism and Hospitality Development. Over the years we have consistently invested in the development of policies that accelerate the development of the State’s economy. This no doubt has further positioned the State as a first choice for investors. GE which is the 3rd biggest company in the world is joining other investors in tapping into an economy that is ready for the future. Ours is a natural fit.”
 
According to Mr. Nzan Ogbe, Special Adviser, Governors Office, the state was chosen because of its exceptional enabling business climate for investment as well as supporting infrastructure such as functional sea and airports, free trade zone and a well articulated investment policy.
 
THEWILL affirms that Cross River State is also the most secure state in Nigeria with a crime rate of less than 2% and a fully integrated emergency response centre that is fully operational.
 
[size=13pt]The plant would be designed for the manufacture of generator turbines for power plants, coaches for trains, engines for aircrafts as well as hospital equipment, among others.[/size]
 
Also with General Electric setting up in Calabar, it would attract a lot of other investment from allied companies who typically follow GE’s lead as their risk assessment and endorsement of Calabar mitigates any risk hitherto envisaged by potential investors as Cross Rivers due diligence mechanism is world class.
 
In consonance with GE setting up a manufacturing plant in the state, other multinationals in the last one year have done same viz; Wilmar group, Songhai Farms, Dansa, UPDC investing in housing development (Golf Estate) and ARM investing in the hotel and hospitality sector (CICC hotel).
 
The Special adviser, Investment promotions, Mr. Gerald Ada, also noted that according to GE’s due diligence of Cross River State, about 300 Nigerian professional engineers and technicians would be employed in the GE factory, and that provision would be made for the training of young Nigerians through the company’s technology transfer programme.

naptu2: The major new rail lines that have been planned are (in no particular order)

1) The East-West rail line

2) The line to Abuja

3) The high speed rail line from Abuja to Lagos.

At the moment they are rehabilitating existing lines, but one of the reasons GEJ went to China last week is to get a loan for the line to Abuja (and the Abuja metro).

awodman: Nigerian Railway trains leaving with container from Apapa port today

anonimi:

Can't see any picture.....I suppose you posted a picture in the above post?
It might actually be better to open a new thread with professional PR-quality pictures

- of the freight trains loading,
- taking off and
- getting to their destination.

naptu2: 2)

A) Heavy rail: This thread is about improvements in the heavy rail network. Rail lines and services that were dormant are being revived (including the rail links to Apapa and Port Harcourt Quays). This move is very important for our economy.

Goods like wheat, cement, mattresses, petroleum products, etc are now being transported by trains. This makes it cheaper for manufacturers to move raw materials directly from the port to their facilities and move finished goods the other way. It also makes life easier for importers.

Wempco has set up its steel factory in Lagos. It needs iron to be able to produce sheet steel. The iron mines are at Itakpe in Kogi State. The dilemma is how to transport iron from Itakpe to Lagos. Well, the Iddo-Kano rail line has a branch that leads to Itakpe. The revival of the rail system makes life easier for Wempco.

One of the problems we've had with the heavy rail system is that the Colonial Government laid narrow gauge tracks, which are very slow. I read of a reception for Lord Lugard in which the Resident (colonial administrator) complained that he needed standard gauge rail tracks because the trains were so slow that sacks of groundnuts were being built up into pyramids in Kano rather than being conveyed to the port in Lagos.

Standard gauge tracks are now being laid.


B) High speed rail: The proposal for a high speed rail link between Lagos and Abuja has been made since the Obasanjo era. Now the government is getting Chinese help to build it.



The future


However, these high speed trains do not carry goods.

C) Metro: This is very important, particularly in the big cities of Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt. The Lagos and Abuja metro systems are currently being built, but I hear that the Port-Harcourt Monorail project is experiencing some difficulties.

taharqa: @emboldened, Really? Never knew there was a rail link bw Kano (hence Lagos) to Itakpe. Never knew. If true, it wud reali bn great for Wepco and d Steel Industry in Naija

awodman: Train leaving with containers from apapa port today