FG Inaugurates Cargo Services From Apapa Port On Lagos–Ibadan Rail

The Federal Government has finally inaugurated the first cargo movement from the Lagos-Ibadan rail corridor after initial concern over the under-utilization of the standard gauge rail line 2 years after its commissioning.

The inauguration was performed Tuesday 13 September by the Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali, during his first official tour of the rail corridor.

The minister kicked off the tour at the Ebute Meta station before proceeding to Apapa for the launch, then travelled to Ibadan using the 157 km rail corridor.

On September 11, 2019, the Federal Executive Council approved a contact to extend the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail to Apapa Port.

Today, the SGR extension was officially put to use, with the first lifting of freight from Apapa Port to Ibadan with three coaches of 30 wagons loaded as the inaugural freight movement kicked off.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) said it would start with 3 coaches per day with its Managing Director noting that the corporation had the capacity to scale up the numbers.

This effort is expected to decongest the Apapa Port as shippers moved 92.28% of Nigeria’s total exports and 60.77 percent of imports through the facility in the first quarter of 2022 (Q1’22).