Saidu Alkali, the Minister of Transportation, has just launched the first cargo movement from the Lagos-Ibadan rail passage during his first official tour of the rail passage on Tuesday, September 12.
The minister had commenced the railway tour at the Ebute Meta station before moving to Apapa for the launch. He had afterwards, travelled to Ibadan using the 157 km rail passage.
Three coaches of the 30 wagons were loaded as the inaugural freight movement was launched.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, had revealed that it would begin with 3 coaches per day with its Managing Director, MD, highlighting that the rail corporation had the capacity to increase the numbers.
This move is expected to help decongest the Apapa harbour as shippers moved 92.28% of Nigeria’s overall exports and 60.77% of its imports through the facility in the first quarter of 2022.
