Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway

Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway
Overview
Status Abuja-Kaduna segment 90% complete
Operation
Planned opening May 2016 (May 2016)
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway is a planned standard gauge railway across Nigeria from the port of Lagos to Kano, near the Niger border. The railway will run parallel to the British-built Cape gauge line, which has a lower design capacity and is in a deteriorated condition.[1]

The railway is being built in segments. Only the segment between Abuja and Kaduna has been constructed so far and is scheduled to begin operations in May 2016.

History

After independence from Great Britain, the colonial-era Nigerian railways progressively fell into a state of disrepair. The Nigerian Railway Corporation went bankrupt in 1988, and passenger service was halted in 2002. Although projects have begun to rehabilitate the narrow gauge lines, economic growth in Nigeria has made a standard gauge line desirable.[1]

In 2006, the Nigerian government awarded a $8.3 billion contract to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to construct a standard gauge line from Lagos to Kano. Due to an inability to secure funding for the whole project, the Nigerian government decided to build the standard gauge line in segments and rehabilitate the narrow-gauge line in the meantime.[2]

Abuja-Kaduna

The 186 km segment from the national capital of Abuja to the city of Kaduna was the first to be built. The segment was projected to cost $850 million, with $500 million in loans from the Exim Bank of China and the balance coming from the Nigerian government.[3] The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation originally expected to complete the project by December 2014.[4]

However, various difficulties delayed the opening of the route. For example, CCECC faced a two-year delay in the acquisition of land in Abuja required for the railway project. The government had committed to acquire the Daughters of Charity hospital by compulsory purchase, but had not paid the hospital the promised compensation as of February 2016.[5] The decline in the value of the Nigerian naira also left a payment shortfall, and railway supplies were being stolen by miscreants, forcing the Chinese company to build a corridor fence to secure the tracks.[4]

As of January 2016, the track laying was over 90% complete.[4] The Abuja-Kaduna line is expected to begin trial service in March 2016 and begin operational service in May 2016.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Israel, Olumide (March 2, 2014). "Railway: The return of the economic live wire!". Vanguard.
  2. ↑ "Abuja-Kaduna Rail Line, Nigeria". Railway Technology. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Bala-Gbogbo, Elisha (July 27, 2011). "China, Nigeria Spend $629 Million on Abuja to Kaduna Railway". Bloomberg Business. The Export-Import Bank of China provided $500 million in concessionary loans for the $850 million project being built by the China Civil Engineering and Construction Co., according to the statement. Nigeria has contributed $129 million and will provide for the remaining costs until completion in 2014, it added.
  4. 1 2 3 Odittah, Chuka (January 27, 2016). "Hope dims on N170 billion Abuja-Kaduna rail project". The Guardian (Nigeria).
  5. 1 2 Agabi, Chris (February 19, 2016). "Abuja-Kaduna rail to become operational in May". Daily Trust.
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