Trains begin Port Harcourt to Bauchi route by March – Minister

The Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, on Friday said that train services from Port Harcourt to Bauchi and beyond would begin by March.

Idris gave this assurance in Bauchi when he inspected the ongoing rehabilitation work on the segment of the rail lines connecting Kuru, Plateau and Maiduguri.

He said tremendous progress have been recorded in the ongoing rehabilitation of rail lines across the country.

“The project is divided into three phases; we have Port Harcourt to Makurdi, Makurdi to Kuru and Kuru to Maiduguri.

“The progress of work here is quite impressive because I was here some few months back and what I have seen here today is a very impressive improvement over what we had the last time I visited.

“However, that is not to say it is all over until we see the train moving.

“It is our hope that by the end of March this year the train should be able to reach Bauchi and beyond.

“This is our charge to the contractors, the consultant as well as the Nigerian railway corporation. We are determined to achieve that and by the grace of God, we shall achieve it,” he said.

The minister said that trains were already carrying containers and other freight from Lagos to Kaduna and Kano.

“The idea is to revive the entire railway system, and indeed, inject the modern system of railway transport to our transport system generally.

“We are constructing the Abuja to Kaduna, the Itakpe to Ajaukuta to Warri rail lines under the modernisation programme and the contract for Lagos to Ibadan had also been signed.

“We are carrying out a number of visibility assessments all over the country with a view to introduce modern train system

“The idea is for us to get alternative means of transportation for both passengers and goods,” Umar said.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the corporation, Mr Adeseyi Sijuwade, said that the contractors still had some major challenges in Gombe Area, particularly bridges that need intense attention.

He, however, expressed optimism that by the middle of 2014, trains would start moving in most part of the lines from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.