Wednesday, May 1, 2024 -The Port-Harcourt-Aba railway has been opened for operation by the federal government following the completion of its rehabilitation, which forms part of the ongoing work at the 1443km Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri narrow gauge rail project.
The railway is reportedly part of
the intensified drive by the Federal Government to facilitate trade, enhance
mobility, and accessibility and ensure connectivity between the southern parts
of the country to the Northeastern part.
Inaugurating operations on the
rehabilitated 62km rail corridor on Tuesday, the Minister of Transportation,
Sen. Said Alkali, said his Ministry was in discussions with an investor on
retrofitting locomotives from diesel to CNG to further bring down the cost of
transportation.
Alkali also took a train ride from
Port Harcourt to Aba, saying it signaled the commencement of passenger train
services along the corridor. The corridor would be linked to Enugu and
connected to the Onne and Port Harcourt ports to stimulate commerce.
He said;
“We give God the glory that we are
here to commission the train service from Port Harcourt to Aba.
“And to thank the Commander-in-Chief,
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support and commitment to the Ministry of
Transportation out of his desire to bring succour to the people of this great
country.
“The Eastern narrow gauge covers five
geopolitical zones of the country. It covers South South, South East, North
Central, North West and North East.
“So, it means a lot to the government of
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am happy that today one segment is being put to
use, and this is the first presence of the Railway Corporation in the
South-South.
“So, we are prepared, we are going to ride
on the train from Port Harcourt to Aba, and from today, the passenger train
will commence.
“By the grace of God Almighty, from Aba, we
are going to proceed to Enugu, and from Port Harcourt to Onne Port and Port
Harcourt Port so that we will be able to put freight service in the
haulage.
“The ministry is considering a lot of
things, as we speak, we have engaged an investor on retrofitting our locomotive
from diesel to CNG to further bring down the cost of transportation.”
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