TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari will perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the eastern corridor of the ongoing railway rehabilitation on March 9, 2021.

Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, announced the president’s plans during an inspection tour of the rail stations from Mobolaji Johnson Station in Ebuta Metta to Ibadan station.

A statement issued by Eric Ojiekwe, the ministry’s director of press and public relations, quoted the minister as saying the president has also approved the redirecting of the eastern rail lines to two new spurs namely: Abakaliki, Ebonyi state and Awka in Anambra state.

The transport minister said the federal government has approved the commencement of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail project and is also negotiating loans for the Lagos-Calabar rail project.

Amaechi also said the government is still seeking approval for a loan to enable the takeoff of the Ibadan-Kano rail project.

During the inspection, he charged the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), the contractor handling the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan rail line, to ensure its safety and security.

“Amaechi said that he has challenged Messrs China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) to deploy global acceptable safety and security standards for the project, ” the statement read.

“He directed that central cooling system be installed in all the major train stations along the route.”

CCECC recently announced that it has linked the Lagos-Ibadan rail line to Apapa port in Lagos.