The Federal Government is set to launch a historic National Railway Development Roadmap that will connect all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
Key Highlights:
- All states to gain rail access at no extra cost through the new national rail corridors.
- Vision 2-5-10-20 targets 60,000km of rail lines in 20 years.
- Electric rail transition to begin within five years.
- States like Lagos, Plateau, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, and Niger to benefit from existing routes.
- Plan includes freight expansion for cement, metal coils, and AKK pipeline materials.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, made the announcement on Wednesday during the 7th National Transport Conference of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration at NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
According to Opeifa, the roadmap aligns with the Federal Government’s transport modernization plan and recent constitutional amendments that moved railway development to the concurrent legislative list. This will allow states to develop and operate their own rail services using national rail assets.
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He added that several states already have functional connections to both narrow and standard-gauge networks. The roadmap also envisions an expansion in freight-by-rail operations, targeting the movement of containerised cargo, gypsum, soda ash, cement, and other industrial materials across key economic zones.
Under the long-term Vision 2-5-10-20, Opeifa outlined the Federal Government’s ambition to:
Optimise existing rail assets within two years.
Transition to electric traction within five years.
Double national rail capacity within ten years.
Reach at least 60,000 kilometres of connected railway network in twenty years.
Transportation experts at the event described the roadmap as one of the most ambitious infrastructure plans in Nigeria’s history, capable of reshaping interstate trade, reducing road congestion, and stimulating regional development.
