Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, yesterday, said Nigeria’s planned rail line would cover the Western corridor of the country traversing nine states, including Nigeria’s capital, Abuja spanning a total of 1 402 km.

At the Forum of China-Africa Transportation Convention in Beijing, under the theme, ‘Better Transportation, Better World,’ Amaechi said the project is expected to be completed within three years if the expected loan agreement with China EXIM Bank for co-financing is reached as expected.

On the Lagos-Kano railway project awarded to China Civil Engineering and Construction Company, CCECC, and co-financed by China EXIM Bank, Amaechi said the project would serve as an important distribution corridor between the major sea port of Lagos and the hinterlands.

He noted that the investment and partnering were imperative in the country’s cooperation with China, to strengthen Nigeria’s transport infrastructure and contribute towards building a competitive economy.

“Nigeria is also partnering other private sector investors, foreign and domestic, including the consortium led by the United States General Electric.

“The successful realisation of these projects and their operations will result in attainment of high level of intermodal transport system,” he said.

The Ministry of Transportation recently signed the commercial contract for the remaining 901 Km Ibadan to Kano stretch and the associated branch lines from Oshogbo to Ado Ekiti, South West Nigeria following the completion of the first segment of the Abuja – Kaduna railway project of 186.5 km.

Amaechi said that the completion of the Abuja – Kaduna project had tremendously improved citizen’s mobility between the important Northern commercial city of Kaduna and the Abuja, adding that the project had been completed and commercial train operations had been running since July 2016, transporting close to a million passengers.

While the construction of the second segment which is 162 km Lagos – Ibadan double track rail line is ongoing, Amaechi said that Nigerian government and other African governments had put effort into sourcing financiers for development of critical infrastructure especially its transport infrastructure – railways and ports.