The Eastern railway corridor is set for a revival as the Nigerian Railway Corporation(NRC) announces that the Federal Government has commenced its reconstruction and rehabilitation.
The Railway District Manager, Eastern District, Enugu, Mr. Victor Adamu, disclosed this while responding to a national survey on abandoned railway lines in Nigeria on Wednesday.
Adamu said the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the narrow-gauge tracks had commenced, starting from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Aba, Abia State.
He added that the narrow-gauge railway spans the Eastern District, stretching from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, Borno State, and other parts of Nigeria.
He said: “This district covers Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Rivers and part of Egbede in Benue State, which is our boundary with the north central district of about 110 kilometers.
“I am very happy to state that the segment of the contract was handed over to NRC on Nov. 28, 2024. We have our coaches that are running from Port Harcourt to Aba and back to Port Harcourt, five days in a week.”
He acknowledged that there was a suspension of work from Aba, Umuahia to Enugu.
Adamu, however, said that the Federal Government is doing everything possible to ensure that the construction and rehabilitation on the remaining part of the contract commence soon.
The district manager explained that, through the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, work on the narrow gauge had resumed.
He said: “This is a project that the Southeast and other parts of the country will benefit from. The Federal Government is doing a lot to see that the rail lines are working again.
“Sometime in April, the Managing Director of NRC, Mr Kayode Opeifa, visited Enugu and we had some meaningful discussions with the governors of Abia and Enugu States. I believe that the visit will really bring out a lot of things that are going to happen on this corridor.”
According to Adamu, there is a policy introduced by Tinubu’s administration that allows state governments to invest in railways.
He disclosed that the Anambra, Abia and Enugu state governments were ready to key into the policy.
“With this, I believe that very soon, we will start seeing the dividends from these policies,” Adamu said.
He, however, described the activities of vandals as the biggest challenge to NRC, especially as it concerned their track materials and other facilities.
According to him, the NRC is collaborating with the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the military, and vigilante groups to secure railway infrastructure.
Adamu added that through this partnership, they have made arrests of suspected vandals, with some already facing trial.
He said: “There are some suspected vandals who were arrested in Imo, Rivers and Enugu states.
“We are doing these because these facilities are meant for Nigerians, and we are expected to own them as Nigerians. This will go a long way in keeping them intact. Our officials are still going around to see that these facilities are protected.”
Persecondnews recalls that railway operations in Enugu have been suspended for over two decades.
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