Rail transport in Nigeria
Encyclopedia
Railways in Nigeria are operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation. As of 2003, Nigeria’s poorly maintained rail system had 3,557 kilometers of narrow gauge track. The country has two major rail lines: one connects Lagos
on the Bight of Benin
and Nguru
in the northern state of Yobe; the other connects Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta
and Maiduguri
in the northeastern state of Borno. In order to remedy the poor condition, efficiency, and profitability of the nation’s railroads, the government is seeking to privatize the Nigerian Railroad Corporation. Under the privatization plan, three separate concessions of 25–30 years would be granted to private-sector companies to run railroads in the western, central, and eastern regions.
the gauge of the system to has also somewhat stalled. Couplings of the chopper kind, vacuum brake
s and non-roller bearing plain axles are also obsolete.
and Cameroon
, but these have not yet been built.
On 30 October 2006 President Olusegun Obasanjo signed a contract with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to modernise the Lagos to Kano railway line. This is the first phase of the proposed 3 phase line upgrade. The project has been split up into 5 sections namely Lagos-Ibadan (181 km), Ibadan-Ilorin (200 km), Ilorin-Minna (270 km), Minna–Abuja–Kaduna (360 km), and Kaduna-Kano (305 km).
Development of inland container depots
On 8 June 2006 development of Inland Container Depots
(ICD) was proposed for a number of sites.
China helps with revolutionary "fast" rail
Announced 22 March 2006. In terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Nigeria’s Federal Government on 16 March, the Guangdong Xinguang International Group is to construct a revolutionary “fast” rail (RFR) system from Lagos to the capital Abuja (where there is no existing railway) as well as light rail lines to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport from Lagos city and to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport from the Abuja city centre. According to the minister of commerce, $US2billion has been made available to start the projects, and the Chinese company will also invest in the three planned stages of the projected Abuja light rail
system.
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
on the Bight of Benin
Bight of Benin
The Bight of Benin is a bight on the western African coast that extends eastward for about 400 miles from Cape St. Paul to the Nun outlet of the Niger River. To the east it is continued by the Bight of Bonny . The bight is part of the Gulf of Guinea...
and Nguru
Nguru
Nguru may refer to:* The Pila Nguru, an aboriginal people of Australia* Nguru, a small Māori nose flute from New Zealand* Nguru, Nigeria, a town in Yobe State* The Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, wetlands in northern Nigeria...
in the northern state of Yobe; the other connects Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
and Maiduguri
Maiduguri
Maiduguri, also fondly called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad...
in the northeastern state of Borno. In order to remedy the poor condition, efficiency, and profitability of the nation’s railroads, the government is seeking to privatize the Nigerian Railroad Corporation. Under the privatization plan, three separate concessions of 25–30 years would be granted to private-sector companies to run railroads in the western, central, and eastern regions.
Statistics
- narrow gauge: 3,557 km of Cape gaugeCape gaugeCape gauge is a track gauge of between the inside of the rail heads and is classified as narrow gauge. It has installations of around .The gauge was first used by Norwegian engineer Carl Abraham Pihl and the first line was opened in 1862.- Nomenclature :...
- standard gauge: 329 km of gauge
Equipment
Years of neglect of both the rolling stock and the right-of-way have seriously reduced the capacity and utility of the system. A project to restore Nigeria's railways is now underway. A project to convertGauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
the gauge of the system to has also somewhat stalled. Couplings of the chopper kind, vacuum brake
Vacuum brake
The vacuum brake is a braking system employed on trains and introduced in the mid-1860s. A variant, the automatic vacuum brake system, became almost universal in British train equipment and in those countries influenced by British practice. Vacuum brakes also enjoyed a brief period of adoption in...
s and non-roller bearing plain axles are also obsolete.
Railway links with adjacent countries
There are no railway links with adjacent countries. There were plans to establish rail links to NigerNiger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
and Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, but these have not yet been built.
2006
Contract to rebuild Lagos to Kano railway lineOn 30 October 2006 President Olusegun Obasanjo signed a contract with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to modernise the Lagos to Kano railway line. This is the first phase of the proposed 3 phase line upgrade. The project has been split up into 5 sections namely Lagos-Ibadan (181 km), Ibadan-Ilorin (200 km), Ilorin-Minna (270 km), Minna–Abuja–Kaduna (360 km), and Kaduna-Kano (305 km).
Development of inland container depots
On 8 June 2006 development of Inland Container Depots
Inland port
The term inland port is used in two different but related ways to mean either a port on an inland waterway or an inland site carrying out some functions of a seaport.- As a port on an inland waterway :...
(ICD) was proposed for a number of sites.
China helps with revolutionary "fast" rail
Announced 22 March 2006. In terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Nigeria’s Federal Government on 16 March, the Guangdong Xinguang International Group is to construct a revolutionary “fast” rail (RFR) system from Lagos to the capital Abuja (where there is no existing railway) as well as light rail lines to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport from Lagos city and to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport from the Abuja city centre. According to the minister of commerce, $US2billion has been made available to start the projects, and the Chinese company will also invest in the three planned stages of the projected Abuja light rail
Abuja Light Rail
Abuja light rail is a project to construct a light rail transport system in Abuja in Nigeria.President Olusegun Obasanjo performed the official groundbreaking in May 2007. The project was linked to the city's bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014....
system.
See also
- Transport in Nigeria
- Railway stations in NigeriaRailway stations in Nigeria- Maps :* * - West Line :* Apapa - port* Lagos * Agbado - major bridge* Ijoko * Abeokuta ----* Agege - junction* Ibadan * Oshogbo * Ilorin * Zungeru - bridge* Minna - junction for Baro...