Victor Okiche
The Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, and APM Terminals, APMT, in the Apapa Ports area have officially relaunched cargo movement on the Standard Gauge Railway line from the ports in Lagos to Moniya, Ibadan freight yard, in Oyo State to boost import and export .
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, who highlighted the long standing relationship between the NRC and the APM terminals in facilitating container movements across Nigeria, particularly to inland locations like Kaduna and Kano, said the new operation marks a significant improvement from the narrow guage network.
Dr. Opeifa, noted that available record showed that NRC moved 362,327 tonnage of containers, both import and export, in and out of the APM terminals both on the standard and narrow gauges in 2024.
The NRC boss said the new operations on the Standard Guage line would facilitate import and export of commodities with adequate convenience and hitch-free vehicle movement on the highways.
“NRC and APMT have long history of doing business of container traffic to places in the hinterland of Nigeria such as Kaduna, Kano, but it is mainly on the Narrow Gauge lines.
“However, container traffic movement by rail on the standard gauge in and out of APMT to Moniya freight yard in Ibadan commenced in September 2023, with the likes of Bueno Logistics and Transco Africa Logistics, blazing the trail among other customers using the single “transitional line” in APMT.
“Two additional lines are at advanced stage of completion in APMT which will bring the total lines within APMT standard gauge corridor to three,” he said.
Dr. Opeifa, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to modernizing the country’s rail infrastructure in line with President Bola Tinubu’s vision for the sector.
Earlier at the occasion, the Chief Commercial Officer of APM terminals, Mrs Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi, said the rail service would reduce operational costs associated with high logistics by road.
The Chief Commercial Officer of APMT, said the new schedule would ensure that train operates three times in a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
“This initiative symbolise the collective efforts of all stakeholders who worked diligently to provide Nigerian shippers with viable alternatives to road transportation for cargo evacuation from the Apapa port.
“Apapa’s enduring strength lies in its multi-modal transportation capabilities, seamlessly integrating barge, road, and rail systems.
“This robust infrastructure enables efficient cargo handling and evacuation from the port.
“The results from our 2024 fiscal year reflect this efficiency, with our export volumes growing 43 per cent over the last two years, when this accelerated process began at the end of 2022,” she said.
Also, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr Akutah Ukeyima, noted that the rail transport happens to be the best form of transport, cheapest and safest for shippers to move goods and promote trade activities in the country.
“Recall that sometimes last year, the Nigerian Shippers Council and the NRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding to look into the possibility of the rail transport to support trade.
“We understand that the rail transport happens to be the best form of transport, cheapest and safest for shippers to move goods across the country,” he said
Mr. Ukeyima appreciated President Bola Tinubu for the initiative aimed at supporting all agencies of government to work together seamlessly with the private sector to develop critical infrastructure in the country.