Punch Newspapers
Sections
Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja
Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja
Published 15 March 2021
The Federal Government on Sunday explained why it was constructing a narrow gauge railway on the Eastern rail line as opposed to the clamour for a standard gauge line.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, gave the explanation in a statement issued by his media aide, Taiye Edeni.
He said the standard gauge line was going to cost about $11bn to $14bn to construct, whereas it would cost $3bn to construct a narrow gauge, as he noted that getting funds was also tough this period.
The minister was quoted as saying, “The standard gauge line is between $11bn to $14bn to construct on the Eastern flag. The standard gauge as designed in Nigeria is 150km in terms of speed, operational speed is 120km.
[FILES] Rotimi Amaechi. Photo; TWITTER/CHIBUIKEAMECHIThe Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has said that narrow gauge rail lines were not inferior to the standard gauge lines.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos that the only difference between the two lines was speed. x
Amaechi was reacting to allegations that the narrow gauge lines were inferior, sub-standard and outdated in other parts of the world.
NAN recalls that some stakeholders had accused the minister of recommending the narrow gauge to the federal government instead of the standard gauge to maximise the benefits of modern rail transportation.
Amaechi clarifies narrow/standard gauge lines controversy
On
By Dirisu Yakubu – Abuja
Against the backdrop of reactions over the recent flag-off of the Eastern railway narrow gauge stretching from Port-Harcourt to Maiduguri, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has said the narrow gauge is not in anyway inferior to the standard gauge as being speculated in some quarters.
The Minister said the difference was only in the area of speed.
According to him, the Eastern Rail corridor would be made up of both the narrow and standard gauge, adding that government was only starting off the rehabilitation of the narrow gauge owing to paucity of funds.
NRC begins e-ticketing for Abuja-Kaduna train service- Official
NRC MD says the e-ticketing platform will guarantee orderliness in purchasing of tickets and address some major security challenges in the country.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) said it has commenced the e-ticketing for train services on the Abuja-Kaduna route.
The NRC Managing Director, Fidet Okhria, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja that the process would be on test run for a week before its formal inauguration on Jan. 20.
“We have commenced the e-ticketing for the Abuja -Kaduna train service today. We intend to test-run this process for about a week after which the formal inauguration will be done at the Ministry of Transportation on Jan. 20.