• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Apapa: FG to connect seaport by rail for cargo evaluation by January 2020

Apapa Port

Worried by the reoccurring gridlock in the Apapa environment caused by presence container carrying trucks and tankers, the Federal Government has given timeline to the commencement of cargo evacuation by rail from the nation’s seaport in Apapa as it is perfecting arrangements to conclude the ongoing Lagos-Ibadan rail project by December 2019 or January 2020.

To ensure the completion of the project,  the Federal Government has also approved $5.3 billion for the funding of the Ibadan-Kano rail project.

Upon the commencement of cargo movement by rail, the problem of Apapa gridlock would be resolved as a reasonable percentage of the cargoes coming to the port would now be evacuated by rail rather than depending 100 percent on road.

Speaking during the third maritime stakeholders’ interactive forum held in Lagos on Thursday, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, minister of transportation, said that the ministry through the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) had imported about 200 wagons to move cargo by rail from Apapa port to Ibadan in the first instance.

“We will ensure that cargo is moved from Apapa to Ibadan by March 2020 even if we cannot take the cargo to Kano for now. We will complete the rail track to Kano to resolve the problem of Apapa gridlock, ” he said.

Details coming later..