Nigeria intensifies efforts for new railway infrastructure
Nigeria’s government is investing billions to rehabilitate existing and build new railway infrastructure. It would be recalled that during visits to the construction sites by Minister of State for transport, Mr Idris A Umar and leading NRC officials in April, Umar said that he would liaise with the governor of Ebonyi to end the siege and increase police presence around the construction sites to deter thieves.
He also said that NRC is in the process of ordering wagons to operate on the line. He noted that other projects for which construction contracts have been awarded include the new 340km Itakpe – Ajaokuta – Warri standard-gauge line which will transport iron-ore from the Itakpe mine to the Ajaokuta and Delta Steel plants, and coal from Warri to Ajaokuta. The line will have capacity for four trains of 32 wagons in its first phase and eventually increase to eight trains of 64 wagons.
The government is hopeful that chosen contractor Julius Berger, which is carrying out the work under a $211m contract awarded in 2009, will complete the work this year, although the steel plants are not currently in production.
In addition to its work on the Lagos – Kano project, CCECC also secured a $ 1.59bn contract for the 360km, standard-gauge Lagos – Ibadan line in 2012. The double-track line is being financed through a $1billion soft loan from China Exim Bank with up to $500m provided by the Nigerian government.
A similar loan agreement is in place with China Exim bank for the 186km Abuja – Kaduna single-track standard-gauge line. China Exim will provide $ 500m towards the $ 875m project, with CCECC again contracted to carry out this work under a deal signed, and construction has begun in Nigeria’s capital.
For Aliu Babatunde, a Lagos-based architect, said emphasis should now be placed on passing the draft Railway Bill which is intended to provide the legal framework necessary to attract private capital, and the operators, that will enable a revamped and revitalised network to fulfill its potential.
“Following a N24bn ($151.7m) investment to upgrade track and signalling on the 1067mm-gauge line as well as the purchase of 25 GE locomotives and renovation of 500 wagons and passenger coaches, services recommenced on the 98km line from Lagos to Abeokuta in December. This was followed on the entire 1126km route to Kano in early 2013, 10 years after it closed”, he said.
The government has committed around $10bn to new projects and rehabilitation in the past six years. Construction contracts for seven cross-country projects have already been awarded while feasibility studies for eight more are set to be completed in the third quarter of the year. In total the government plans to allocate a further N1.61 trillion towards 15 railway projects in its 2011-15 with 13 projects receiving N44.45bn in this year’s budget announcement.
Following the completion of the Lagos – Kano project by China Civil Engineering Construction (CCECC), which was responsible for the 486km section between Lagos and Jebba, and Costain West Africa which rehabilitated the 640km Jebba – Kano section, the emphasis has shifted to the 1657km eastern portion of the 1067mm-gauge network from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.
Rehabilitation of track, bridges and culverts is now well underway on the project which is divided into three lots after contracts for each were awarded.
Current Developments In Railway Network
The Lagos-Ibadan line is a significant step in the Nigerian government’s goal of a modernised rail network. The Nigerian government signed a construction contract for the railway with China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), a Chinese state-owned enterprise. China Export-Import (EXIM) Bank financed the $1.53 billion project cost under concessional loan terms.
The new standard-gauge Lagos-Ibadan line was designed to improve logistical efficiency, increase capacity to transport passengers and freight and generate comprehensive benefits for local economies along the railway. However, the rail project has already encountered challenges. Weather and equipment delivery delays have pushed back the railway’s completion dates from the original target in December 2018 to May 2019.
In July 2018, construction of the Abeokuta station, an important hub between the Lagos and Ibadan, was suddenly relocated from its planned location at Trade Fair Complex to Oba New City, a six-kilometer distance apart after problematic engineering conditions were discovered. While construction delays are commonplace in complex projects, managerial complexities and construction quality play a key role in operational efficiency throughout the lifespan of a railway project.
Abuja-Kaduna Rail LineThe Abuja-Kaduna rail line is one of the first standard gauge railway modernisation projects (SGRMP) undertaken in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. The standard gauge line connects federal capital city Abuja with its commercial capital Kaduna, enabling faster movement of goods and people between the two cities.
The construction of the Abuja-Kaduna rail line was started in February 2011 and completed in December 2014 with China’s support. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari officially inaugurated the line for commercial services in July 2016. China Civil and Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), which is also constructing the Lagos Rail Mass Transit System in Nigeria, built the line for the Federal Government. The project employed approximately 4,000 people and is expected to create more than 5,000 additional jobs during operation.
