The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) would, by November this year, commence evacuation of containers via the Standard gauge railway line from Lagos to Ibadan and back.
This, it said, was part of efforts to ease the traffic congestion at Apapa and its environs.
Managing director of the corporation who dropped this hint in Lagos recently said, the critical stakeholders, including Importers, NRC, terminal operators, truck drivers and shipping companies have to reach an agreement on the process all the parties will be carried along.
He noted that, presently, containers are evacuated on the narrow gauge railway line to terminals at Ashaye/Oyingbo and Ijoko in Lagos and Ogun state respectively based on agreement with truck drivers who position their vehicles at aforementioned Inland Container Terminals (ICD’s,).
Corroborating, Lagos district manager of the corporation, Engr.Augustine Arase posited that, plans have reached an advanced stage to flag off the evacuation of containers through the standard railway line from Apapa to designated freight station along the Lagos to Ibadan standard gauge railway corridor.
He disclosed that, all the stakeholders involved in the distribution chain of containers will soon meet and decide on the date of commencement, adding that, officials of the corporation alongside some of the stakeholders have visited some of the freight stations designated for offloading containers destined for various parts of the country by road.
According to Arase, “the Kajola freight station have been designated for containers destined for manufacturing companies at Agbara in Ogun state while Abeokuta and Moniya freight stations in Oyo state have been designated for offloading of containers destined for Eastern and Northern parts of the country by road respectively.”
