The Nigerian Railway Corporation has unveiled an ambitious plan to expand the national rail network from about 4000 kilometres to 10,000 kilometres within the next five years, with a longer-term target of 20,000 kilometres in the next 20 years.
Managing Director of the corporation, Dr Kayode Opeifa, disclosed this during an interview where he outlined the strategic direction of the rail sector and the scale of investment required to reposition it as a major driver of national growth.
Opeifa said Nigeria currently operates about 4,000 kilometres of rail lines, a figure he described as inadequate for a country of its size and economic ambition.
“In the next five years, we hope to increase the length of tracks to about 10,000 kilometres. By another 10 years after that, we want to move Nigeria to about 20,000 kilometres of rail lines,” he said.
He stressed that achieving the expansion target would depend largely on private sector participation, noting that government funding alone could not support the scale of infrastructure investment required.
According to him, the Federal Government remained open to concessioning arrangements and other partnership models, adding that sovereign guarantees would be provided to investors in line with global best practices.
“Our doors are open to the private sector for concessioning and partnerships. Government budgets alone cannot fund rail expansion at this scale, which is why we are encouraging private investment,” Opeifa said.
He said the expansion plan formed part of a larger national rail roadmap that would soon be unveiled, aimed at strengthening connectivity across economic corridors and boosting productivity.
Opeifa noted that the corporation was working towards completing key rail corridors, including the Lagos-Kano line, the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri route, and the Ajaokuta-Abuja connection to enable seamless movement of people and goods between the South and the North.
He added that both narrow gauge and standard gauge rail lines were operational, with the corporation embarking on aggressive recovery of locomotives, wagons, and other rolling stock to improve efficiency and capacity utilisation.
Despite security challenges, Opeifa said rail services continued nationwide, attributing this to the commitment of railway engineers and artisans who sustained operations across the network.
He called for community ownership of railway assets as a critical response to vandalism, particularly along the Warri-Itakpe corridor, where he said repeated attacks had forced the corporation to replace almost every section of track.
The NRC boss also said the corporation was collaborating with several state governments, including Lagos, Zamfara, Plateau, Niger, and Ogun, to increase rail usage and maximise existing assets.
Opeifa revealed that private operators were already participating in rail operations, with about 28 logistics companies licensed to move goods from Apapa Port to locations including Oyingbo, Papalanto, Kajola, Omi Adio, Moniya, and Osogbo.
“If you have the resources to bring in locomotives and rolling stock, we will give you access to our tracks because once the tracks are in use, the economy benefits,” he said.
He described the state of the railway a year ago as being in intensive care, adding that cooperation from workers had helped restore stability and revive investor confidence.
According to him, growing interest from investors and increased licence uptake in recent weeks signalled renewed confidence in Nigeria’s rail future.
