FG announces substantial completion of Apapa port railway extension

The Federal Government announced at the weekend that the Apapa Port railway, which is an extension of the Lagos Ibadan rail has been completed.

This was announced by the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on digital and new media, Tolu Ogunlesi.

Also confirming this to journalists manager of Nigerian Railway Authority (NRC) Mr Jerry Oche said the agency is already putting finishing touches to the tracks, both the narrow and standard gauges.

Buhari’s Special Assistant  stated “Pleased to announce that the extension of the Lagos Ibadan Rail Line into Apapa Port is ‘Substantially completed’, according to the NRC. Test-running has started, a locomotive actually went into the Port yesterday.”

The $1.7bn Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge project which is 157-kilometer long started in March 2017 as part of the railway modernization drive of the Federal Government. To ease the congestion in Apapa ports, the project scope was expanded to Apapa ports from the Ebute-metta Junction (EBJ).

The distance from EBJ to the Port complex is 7km and the track is designed to link three major terminals in the ports including the Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL), ENL Port and Terminal   and APM Terminal.