Railway Transport: More Towns To Be Linked As FG Approves Contract For Lagos – Calabar Coastal Rail line

By Frank Oshanugor

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday ratified President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the award of contract for the $11.17bn Lagos – Calabar Coastal Standard Gauge rail project to link all coastal cities in Nigeria.

The Lagos – Calabar Coastal route alignment will go from Lagos to Sagamu, Sagamu to Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Ode to Ore, Ore to Benin City, Benin-City to Sapele, Sapele to Warri, Warri to Yenogoa, Yenegoa to Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt to Aba, Aba to Uyo, Uyo to Calabar, Calabar to Akamkpa to Ikom, Obudu Ranch with branch lines from Benin-City to Agbor Ogwashi-Uku, Asaba, Onitsha and Onitsha Bridge and then Port Harcourt to Onne Deep Sea Port.

The project which is expected to be completed within a period of six years was an old project inherited from the last Administration.

AtlanticNewsonline gathered that under the former administration, approval was given but nothing was done on the project.

The FEC also approved funding to ensure that work began immediately on the Kano – Jibia and the Port Harcourt – Maiduguri rail lines.

It will be recalled that on the 10th March, 2021, the Federal Government kickstarted a $3 Billion rehabilitation and reconstruction of the 1,443-kilometer (897-mile) Eastern Railway line that starts from the South Southern oil hub of Port Harcourt and terminates at the North Eastern city of Maiduguri.

The rail line is expected to link Nigeria’s industrial and agriculture hubs, facilitating the easy movement of people, goods and services. When completed, it will connect Rivers, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Borno states.

The Federal Government is expected to provide about 15% of the $3 billion rehabilitation and reconstruction cost, while the balance will be provided by a syndicate of Chinese financiers.