Nigeria Unveils Rail, Data and Bus Terminal Projects to Transform Transport

Nigeria's federal government is presenting rail, freight, transport data and bus terminal projects as the foundation of a less road-dependent transport system.

Permanent Secretary Olufunso Adebiyi outlined the plans in Abuja at the opening of the 19th National Council on Transportation. He said the government was focusing on rail, water and air as alternatives to roads, describing the railway expansion as a rebirth of the sector.

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The rail rebirth gathers pace.

Operational corridors include Port Harcourt to Aba, Warri to Itakpe, Lagos to Ibadan and Abuja to Kaduna. Adebiyi said the Kaduna-Zaria-Kano line was nearing completion and should open by December. Work is also advancing on the Kaduna-Daura-Katsina and Kano-Dutse routes, while the Katsina-Jibia-Maradi link is targeted for next year.

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Technically, you have removed 33 trailers from the Lagos-Ibadan Road.

The government is also promoting rail freight to ease pressure on highways. Adebiyi cited a train that moved 33 forty-foot containers from a port to Ibadan Dry Port, removing an equivalent number of trailers from the Lagos-Ibadan Road. More dry ports, he said, would move containers closer to their destinations and help reduce congestion, accidents and road damage.

The Federal Executive Council has approved a Smart National Transport Data Bank under a design-build-finance-operate-and-transfer model. It would centralize records on drivers, vehicles, plate numbers and operators, while standardized motor-park manifests would record vehicle, driver, passenger and destination details. Six pilot bus terminals would include passenger information systems, police posts, inspection bays, workshops, restaurants and restrooms.

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You can pick the manifest and know who is inside and for what purpose.