The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr. Fidet Okhiria, has said the NRC transported 3.923 million passengers in 2021.
The MD who was represented by the Director in charge of planning, Dr James Gyang, made the disclosure at the Nigerian Transport Award held in Lagos. He said the agency is running 4,178.5 kilometres of railway tracks nationwide.
The director said there are five terminals used for transporting cargo from Apapa port to Oyingbo and Ijoko as a means to decongest the ports, and also reconstruct the Eastern line.
The NRC director said the tracks comprise of 3,505km of narrow-gauge rail line (western and eastern lines), 185.5km double line standard gauge rail line from Lagos to Ibadan, and 186km of standard gauge rail line, Abuja–Rigasa.
Speaking further, he disclosed that the corporation has also recorded 302 kilometre network of standard gauge rail line from Warri to Itakpe, an ongoing construction of Kano–Kaduna standard gauge rail line and linking of Inland Dry Ports with rail sidings with a view to transporting cargo from the ports closer to the owner’s destination.
He, however, mentioned some challenges confronting the corporation which includes insufficient rolling stock, obsolete workshop and maintenance equipment, and security challenges due to the porous nature of the rail corridor.
He added that there’s need to have the support of the security agencies in this regard.
