NRC commences freight movement from Apapa to Ibadan August 1

After two years of under-utilisation of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced that it would start the movement of freight from the Apapa ports to Moniya in Ibadan on August 1.

This development comes after the NRC encountered impediments in the complete linkage of the track to the Apapa Port quay, including a radioactive scanner belonging to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

However, the NRC has confirmed that the movement of containers will begin from August 1 and that the national railway network will be able to facilitate the movement of over 3.2 million tonnes of cargo per year.

Speaking with The Guardian, District Manager for Lagos, NRC, Augustine Arisa, said the NRC has started moving cement to Ibadan from Ewekoro.

He said: “We expect to start container movement from APMT in Apapa to Moniya from August 1.”

Arisa added that since the removal of fuel subsidy, passenger service has increased as people have opted for train movement. He said people have turned to the railway since the hike in road transportation.

“When you are thinking of mass movement, nobody can move it like the NRC. The number of passengers has increased since the removal of fuel subsidy, although we haven’t increased our shifts yet, but there is increased patronage.

“Government should consider the NRC in its palliative process because we are moving a better number of people from Point A to Point B,” he said.

According to him, the passenger service has already commenced, and the fare hike for public transportation has encouraged people to opt for train movement.