RAILWAYS LINE WILL PASS THROUGH SOUTH EAST....MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT

The Ministry of Transportation on Friday dismissed fears that the Southeast will not benefit from the ongoing upgrading of the country’s railways.

The project is to be financed with a $5.851 billion loan from China’s Exim bank.

The ministry in a statement issued by its Director of Public Relations, Yetunde Sonaike, said no section of the country is left out of the railway upgrading.

“The Federal Ministry of Transportation wishes to state clearly that the south-east geo-political zone has not been excluded from the Federal Government ongoing rail projects,” she said in an apparent response to the decision of the Senate to summon the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to come and explain why the eastern corridor of the country’s rail lines was excluded from the proposed loan.

The two major rail projects of the federal government are the Coastal Rail Project from Lagos – Calabar, which traverse Lagos –Shagamu -Ore-Benin City – Sapele – Warri – Yenogoa.

“With siding to Otuoke – Port Harcourt- Aba- Uyo – Calabar and branch line from Benin City Abudu – Onitsha, including Onitsha rail bridge.

Lagos – Kano rail project will traverse Lagos – Abeokuta – Ibadan –Oshogbo – Ilorin – Jebba – Minna – Kaduna – Zaria-Kano, with branch line from Minna – Abuja and Abuja – Kaduna.

“The Federal Ministry of Transportation wishes to state categorically that the loan from China Exim Bank will be used to fund the following three segments from the two major rail projects. Lagos – Ibadan, from Lagos – Abeokuta – Ibadan with extension to Apapa Port Complex with the segment two of Lagos – Kano.

“Kano – Kaduna, segment 3A of Lagos – Kano – Calabar – Port Harcourt, which will pass through Port Harcourt – Aba-Uyo – Calabar with extension to Onne Deep Sea Port,” the statement added.