Train services on the Port Harcourt to Aba route will start operating by the end of March, the Federal Government announced on Saturday.
The Port Harcourt-Aba rail project is an important part of the broader Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway project, which was started by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
This was revealed at Port Harcourt by Mr. Fidet Okhiria, the Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation, following a delegation's test-run of the rebuilt Eastern Narrow Gauge Rail line.
In order to ensure that full train operations could start within the month, he said that workmen were now finishing touches to the tracks.
The fact that I was able to ride the locomotive and waggon on the rails today really amazed me.
The contractor informed us that the train was imbalanced and that it was improper for us to ride on it during our previous visit, thus we were unable to use it.
"Minister of Transportation Mu'azu Sambo has ordered that Onne Port be linked and that the Port Harcourt route be connected to rail," he stated.
Okhiria was certain that the contractor will finish the "tampering" of the railway in two weeks, ahead of the scheduled three-week period for the return of train services.We are putting pressure on the contractor to use semi-automated machine point signalling instead of manual operation in order to make the track safe.
"The contractors are working hard despite shortages of resources, and our target is to complete this within the next two weeks.
"Hopefully by the end of March, we will be able to fully resume transporting people from Port Harcourt to Aba through passenger train services," he promised.The project design team has begun developing a rail track to link the Onne seaport and the Port Harcourt-Aba railway line, according to the head of the NRC.
He went on by saying that in order to ensure a smooth project delivery, the company had started working with the port's terminal manager and top engineers.
"The first design is finished and delivered to us. We review it, address any issues, and ask approval. Work will start as soon as it's approved," he said.
In reference to transport costs, Okhiria said that commuters may have to pay more than they were previously able to pay because of the current high cost of diesel.
He stated that in order to maintain operations, the NRC would try to earn at least 50% from passengers if it was unable to pay for all fuel costs.
Furthermore, we will assess the state of the roads with the goal of paying for at least half of the associated expenses.
"To guarantee proper security of the rain line and the link of security devices from the trains to the control room, the government is collaborating with relevant security officials.
Communities need to defend the policies that our government is implementing on our behalf. He said, "We are working hard to make sure everyone who travels the train is safe.Businesses were advised by Okhiria not to do business on the rail lines since the trains would no longer stop to allow them to unload their cargo before passing.
He added that all of the nation's railroads had the trains planned to run at specific times.
