We Will Rehabilitate All The Narrow Gauge Rail Lines – Rotimi Amaechi

The Federal Government will soon begin the construction of international rail lines that’ll run into other African countries very soon.

This was revealed by the Director of Media of the Ministry of Transportation, Mrs. Yetunde Sonaike, who was representing the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, at a seminar in Abuja.

In the statement she read on behalf of the minister, she said the government “would complete the total rehabilitation of all the narrow gauge rail lines and put them to use. The Federal Government is currently discussing with General Electric on the concession agreement.

“The government will construct and complete some standard gauge lines in selected corridors across the country, like the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line, and undertake various visibility studies with a view to connecting all state capitals, agricultural and industrial clusters by rail.

“Government will also make provision for some international linkages by rail to our neighbouring nations, thus leveraging the ECOWAS arrangement and other continental protocols.”

While speaking about the ministry’s approach to revolutionising the sector, she said, “It may interest you to note that the transportation sector, since independence, does not have an approved National Transport Policy to coordinate and drive the growth of the industry.

“We just concluded the 2017 edition of the National Council on Transportation in Sokoto State where two inter-ministerial committees involving relevant stakeholders were set up to handle two pressing issues in the sector.”