Nigeria’s Government has approved the USD 5.3 billion for the construction of Ibadan – Kano standard gauge rail project, providing north-south transport link, with connections to the ports.
According to the Transport Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, negotiations are ongoing to secure funding to commence coastal rail for the Port-Harcourt -Warri section in south.
The line is part of the 2,700-km Lagos–Kano rail standard gauge line which will offer transport connections from the Port of Lagos to Kano, near the border with Niger.
In 2016, the 187-km Abuja – Kaduna railway section was put into commercial services, and currently, the 156-km Lagos-Ibadan section is under construction. China Civil Engineering Construction is performing construction works with a USD 1.5 billion investment covered by the Chinese and Nigerian governments. This section is expected to be completed in 2020.
In 2018, the Nigerian government and China Civil Engineering Construction signed a USD 6.68 billion contract for Lagos – Kano line.
To complete the standard gauge railway corridor, construction works are expected to commence on four separate sections. 200-km will link Ibadan and Ilorin, and from here to Minna, 270 km of standard gauge should be built. From Minna, the line will be connected to Abuja and then to Kaduna and Kano, which is estimated to have a length of over 300 km.
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