The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rail lines

  • E-ticketing for Lagos-Ibadan, Warri – Itakpe rail lines coming

    E-ticketing for Lagos-Ibadan, Warri – Itakpe rail lines coming

    The Federal Government has launched the e-ticketing platform for the Lagos-Ibadan and Warri-Itakpe rail lines.

    The Minister of Transportation, Sen. Saidu Akali said the initiative will make ticket purchase easy, enhance security and curb ticket racketeering.

    Speaking during the launch of the platform in Abuja on Monday, the minister also explained that the new platform was imperative as the present administration has zero tolerance for corruption.

    He also revealed that the platform would take effect from November 1st, 2023.

    The Minister said: “The essence of e-ticketing is to make it easy for our passengers to buy tickets, for security purposes and to stop ticket racketeering because this administration has zero tolerance for corruption”.

    The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Fidet Okharia said the initiative will boost revenue generation for the country.

    Read Also: Nigeria will experience good train system with Lagos red rail lines – Seyi Law

    Speaking on the need to have an e-ticketing platform, Okhiria said: “The process has been on for about three years and it has finally come to fruition. Nigerians would be able to buy their tickets online and start their journey without any hindrance or struggle of running to the station.

    “I am so happy about this project, apart from the fact that e-ticketing will end issues of ticket racketeering, it will also increase the revenue from the routes.”

    Stating the benefit of an online platform, NRC MD said: “We have witnessed significant growth in our revenue in the last week. I can say that we did not earn anything less than N4 million last week in a day from the Warri-Itakpe line last week. So, by the time the e-ticketing commences, the Itakpe-Warri earning would be higher.”

    On ticket racketeering, Okhiria said:  “Four staff that were caught involved in ticket racketeering on the Lagos-Ibadan rail corridor have been sacked, seven others caught for other offenses  have been demoted and for the Warri-Itakpe corridor, two people have been suspended.”

    The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani explained the mode of the contract.

    She said: “It is a concession and it went through a concession process.  The private sector that brought in their money to get this technology done would recoup their money over a period of ten years and it was duly awarded by the Federal Executive Council earlier in the year.

    The contractors in charge of the platforms are; Fane International Consult Ltd for the Warri-Itakpe rail line

  • Senate to Fed Govt: include Eastern rail lines in $6.8bn project

    THERE was a push yesterday for the inclusion of Eastern rail lines of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in the $6.8 billion loan approved for the standardisation and modernisation of the Nigerian railway.

    The Senate passed a resolution in which it urged the Federal Government to include the Eastern rail lines in the multi-billion dollar project.

    The Red Chamber also asked the government to restore services on the Eastern rail lines, adding that the inclusion must be captured in this year’s 2018 Appropriation.

    The resolution followed a motion on “urgent need to include the Eastern Rail Lines in the Nigerian Railway Development Project,” sponsored by Senator Victor C. Umeh (Anambra Central).

    The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, warned that the continuous marginalisation of the Southeast and Southsouth could trigger unrest and agitation.

    Umeh, in his lead debate, noted that inclusiveness is the essence of governance in a democracy which is further buttressed by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as stated in Section 15 Sub-sections 3(a) and 4.

     

    He noted that Eastern rail lines had been moribund as trains had abandoned the routes in moving people and goods in and out of the old Eastern Region, a development, he said caused a decline in economic activities.

    The Anambra senator observed that the deplorable condition of the Eastern rail lines has increased the cost of transportation, commodities and job creation.

    According to him, modern rail transport system remained one of the fastest, safest and easiest means of transporting people and commodities from one destination to another.

    In the past, the senator observed, livestock and other farm produce were transported easily from the North to the East by train.

  • Abaribe faults Amaechi on concession of South South-South East rail line

    Abaribe faults Amaechi on concession of South South-South East rail line

    Chairman South East Senate Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, taken on the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi on the denial of alleged deliberate omission of the South South, South East corridors of rail line development by the Federal Government.
    Abaribe had raised the alarm that the South South, South East corridors were omitted in the $5.8Bn China Exim Bank loan sought by the Federal Government to develop rail lines in parts of the country.
    Amaechi countered and said that the South East was not excluded.
    Abaribe on a Sunday asked Amaechi to explain why the South East corridor was scheduled to for concessionaires to build, while other rail line corridors in other parts of the country would be built with funds borrowed by the Federal Government which every part of the country would pay.
    Reacting to a press statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Transport that the South East zone was not omitted as alleged by the Senate, as Aba and Onitsha are among towns covered by the Coastal Railway Corridor, Senator Abaribe who sponsored the motion in the senate said, ” my motion is not only about the South East, but about the second major Railway corridor in Nigeria, built by the British, which covers South South-South East-North Central and North East.”
    “The corridor is from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. It covers over 100 towns and major cities, not about Aba or Onitsha far from it. It industrialized many cities and gave jobs directly and indirectly to thousands.
    “In addition, the letter from Mr. President seeking for expedited action on approval of the loan did not specify when the eastern corridor would be modernized.
    “ It said that negotiations are on to get a CONCESSIONAIRE for the eastern line. In other words, while we borrow for the western line, we must wait to get some entity interested to concession it”.
    Asked why the Railway corridor cannot wait for next phase as proposed by Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Abaribe said “if it is our collective money saved out of our earnings, we can wait for the next season, but since it is collective debt, why don’t we endeavour to borrow enough and stimulate the growth of every region at the same period? Don’t you know that Railways more than any other infrastructure is critical to the growth of the economy. It is a big catalyst for the creation of jobs and creation of new towns.”
    “Besides all those on the over 100 towns and villages served by the eastern line would suffer double jeopardy by paying twice. Once for the collective debt and also for the concession costs which would be borne solely by them,” Senator Abaribe noted.
    “What must be done now; It is my candid view that the Federal Ministry of Transport should approach the Chinese Exim bank or any other source to raise the requisite funds to execute the Port Harcourt – Maiduguri Railway Corridor; what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
    “When the Federal Government constructs the standard gauge for Lagos-Kano and leave the Eastern Corridor empty, how do we convince Boko Haram and IPOB boys that they are not marginalized and excluded?”

  • Lagos -Ibadan, Ilorin-Kano rail lines to cost govt $7.6b

    Lagos -Ibadan, Ilorin-Kano rail lines to cost govt $7.6b

    Amaechi bemoans National Assembly’s inaction on loan

    THE Federal Government plans to spend $6.1 billion on the construction of Ibadan-Ilorin-Minna-Kano standard gauge lines of the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
    The Lagos-Ibadan line which will cost $1.5 billion, will be funded with a Chinese loan.
    Transportation Minister Chuibuke Amaechi said this in Ilorin at a town hall meeting for Northcentral states.
    Amaechi added that the failure of the National Assembly to approve the Federal Government’s borrowing plan from China was holding the government back.
    He urged the people to prevail on the National Assembly to approve the loan.
    He said the loan, when accessed, would enable the Federal Government to embark on the revitalisation of rail projects to create more jobs for Nigerians.
    Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed cautioned Nigerians, who were making statements that could cause religious disharmony.
    Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole said the Federal Government had secured a loan of $500 million to fund revival of Basic Health Institutions, of which he said N420 million were disbursed to each state in 2015 to fund the project.
    Under the scheme, which would provide 1,000 basic health centres as already captured in the budget, the minister said a model health centre is being sited in one each of the three senatorial districts in the states.
    “We are going round this year to find out what they have done with this money. If they have done well, we will give them a handshake and give them more money and if they have not done anything, they will have to pay back,” he said.
    Adewole said the revitalisation of the health centres were necessary to relief teaching hospitals from being over-stretched with cases that ordinarily would have been attended to at the primary health level.
    He said the Federal Government was equipping the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) to be a regional centre for treatment of cancer cases.
    The minister called for synergy between the states and Federal Government to fix infrastructure.
    Other ministers, who gave their stewardships were those of Budget and
    National Planning (Zainab Ahmed), Water (Sulyman Adamu), State for Mining and Steel (Abubakar Bawa Bwauari) and Trade and Investment (Ayishat Abubakar).

  • Two robbery suspects held for operating on rail lines

    Two robbery suspects held for operating on rail lines

    The Lagos State Police Command has arrested two persons for terrorising people along railway lines in Mushin and Agege, Lagos.
    The command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP), told reporters in her office that the suspects were arrested on Friday, while attempting to rob some persons along the railway lines.
    She said the gang always attacked people along the railway line by Moshalasi-Alhaja area of the state.
    “At about 4.15 a.m., the command received a distress call from a resident alleging that armed men were terrorising inhabitants along the railway line by Moshalasi in Agege.
    “The patrol team was mobilised to the scene. Immediately the miscreants sighted the policemen, they opened fire on them, while the police responded, leading to the arrest of two of the suspected armed robbers,’’ Badmos said.
    “The suspects had robbed various victims at gun point but with the swift response of the police operatives, some stolen items were recovered and taken into custody as exhibits.
    “A cut to size locally-made double barrel, six rounds of ammunition, 11 handsets of different brands, laptops, two television sets and wraps of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp were recovered from the suspects, ‘’ she added.
    Badmos said efforts were on to arrest other gang members, who are at large, adding that those arrested had confessed to the crime.
    “The two suspects with us have told the police their modus operandi, saying that they rob and dispossess victims of their property, which they usually sell.
    “As I brief you, we have transferred the suspects to the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for further investigation, ’’

  • FG to construct extra rail lines

    FG to construct extra rail lines

    The Federal Government has disclosed plans to construct seven rail lines in addition to the existing and rehabilitated gauges.

    The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, revealed this at the inauguration of boards for the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Tuesday in Abuja.

    He said the ministry had commenced feasibility studies on the project and these would be completed by September, 2013.

    “We are currently carrying out feasibility studies to create seven additional standard gauge lines. The feasibility study would be completed by September this year, the result of which would be advertised for potential investors for their development under the Public Private Partnership (PPP),” Idris said.

    The Federal Government, since commencement of the present administration had embarked on actualizing a 25-year plan to resuscitate and revitalize the nation’s railways system.

    The plan which is in three phase involves railway system transition, modernization as well as system stabilization.

    The minister restated commitments to complete on-going rehabilitation of Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail line before the year ends.

    According to him, the construction of Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri and Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge lines are expected to be on track next year.

    Speaking on the review of NRC Act, Umar said the Bill has been approved by the National Council on Privatization but would be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for further endorsement.