Uncertainty trails rehabilitation of railway lines
Akere bridge links the Western axis and the North through Niger, Kaduna to Kano and Kaura Namoda end. The Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) Engineer Adeseyi Sijuwade, has cried out about frequent theft of major components of the rehabilitation of railway lines in the eastern part of the country. Sijuwade recently complained […]
Akere bridge links the Western axis and the North through Niger, Kaduna to Kano and Kaura Namoda end.
The Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) Engineer Adeseyi Sijuwade, has cried out about frequent theft of major components of the rehabilitation of railway lines in the eastern part of the country.
Sijuwade recently complained to the Minister of Transport Senator Idris Umar, of frequent stealing of rail components along the Port Harcourt-Enugu rail line.
An online statement signed by the Assistant Director of Press and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Mr. Abiodun Oladunjoye said “Engineer Sijuwade had equally lamented the inability of the contractor handling the project, ESER Contracting & Industry Company Incorporated, to access the main quarry for the project located at Ishiagu near Enugu in Ebonyi State.
Engineer Sijuwade said the denial of access was seriously affecting the progress of work on the project and implored the Minister to assist in resolving the problem.
He said boulders had already been crushed at the quarry by the contractor but had been prevented from accessing the site by some people laying claims to the quarry.
NRC’s Managing Director stated that replacing stolen (Pandrol) clips, another component of track-lying, was also affecting the smooth execution of the project.
It further quoted the Minister as saying that regardless of these challenges, the 2013 completion date for the project remained realisable and promised to liaise with the Ebonyi state governor Martin Elechi, towards resolving issues surrounding the Ishiagu quarry and directed the Managing Director of NRC to deploy the railway police to specific areas of theft in order not to jeopardise the completion of the project.
The Minister was also said to have inspected other components imported for track laying at the railway station in Port Harcourt as well as reconstruction work at Iyama Bridge in Enugu and the erosion sites located at Kilometer 63 in Aba after which he proceeded to Gombe, Bauchi, Jos, Kafanchan and Lafia for further inspection.
Speaking to Daily Trust in his office, Engineer Sijuwade said the rehabilitation of tracks and signalling of the Western Line from Lagos-Ibadan-Ilorin-Jebba covering 488 kilometres is being handled by CCECC Nigeria Limited at the cost of N12.2bn. He said that segment is completed and commissioned on 22nd December, 2012.
He said the tracks and signalling contract for the Western Line from Jebba-Minna-Kaduna-Zaria to Kano, covering 636 kilometres is being handled by Costain (WA) Limited at the cost of N12.169bn and it is 98%completed, while the Eastern Line covering Port Harcourt to Maiduguri totalling 1,657 kilometres is being handled by Ansaldo A3 & O Ltd at the cost of N5.6bn and is at 19% completion stage.
“Trele-Eastern Line Port Harcourt-Umuahia-Makurdi with a distance of 463 kilometres being constructed by Eser Contracting W.A. at N19.69bn is 30 percent completed, while Track – Eastern Line Makurdi-Kuru plus spur, Jos and Kafanchan 554 kilometres being done by CGGC at N24.45bn and is 25 percent completed.
“Track-Eastern line Kuru-Bauchi-Gombe-Maiduguri with a distance of 640 kilometers and is being done by Lingo at N23.72bn and is 12 percent completed. The Kano to Lagos line is being used to move 26,000 passengers on short distance daily; 15,200 passengers on long distance weekly; and 11,500 tons of freight traffic Monthly.
“The completion of bridge 47 in Akeri, Niger state is significant for us because up to about 2010, the whole of the Bridge 47, a 6 meters long bridge together with its adjacent track of about 1.6 kilometers was completely washed out by flood. We have built culverts. We have also rehabilitated bridge 46, about 240 meters long, structural steel bridge. We are confident that in addition with the downstream channel which goes on for about 1.5 kilometers long to river Mariga, we can contain the flood.
“The Nigerian Railway Corporation has completed the rehabilitation of 62 coaches and wagons at its Carriage and wagon workshops in Enugu and Lagos, using direct labour. The 62 coaches and wagons comprise of 14 coaches, 30 Covered Hopper Wagons (CHWs) for wheat, 17 container wagons for cement and one power car and had been deployed to districts where they are mostly needed as track rehabilitation is presently on-going in the Eastern District.
“The 14 coaches are being shared to the existing mass transit trains in Lagos, Offa- Kano passenger train and Lagos – Kano intercity passenger train. To alleviate passenger congestion, a minimum of ten standard class passenger coaches with one air-conditioned passenger coach and a power-generating car per train is being made available for the commuters in Lagos mass transit trains. With this improvement, each of the Lagos mass transit trains will carry about 1, 650 passengers at about 150 passengers per coach.
“All the coaches come with improved interior facilities like lightings, fans, seats, and toilets. Lagos District still maintains its 16 train trips daily, Monday to Friday between Iddo/Apapa and Agbado/Ijoko. The 47 wagons on the other hand are being deployed to the Corporation’s cement and wheat freight customers to enhance freight carriage capability in that regard.