The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) moved 3,200 tonnes of goods out of Apapa ports by rail in its freight services in July, Jerry Oche, the Lagos District Manager, has said.
Oche disclosed on Sunday in Lagos that the rail freight services helped to remove about 160 trucks off the roads last month.
“We just started rail freight services and we now move containers from Lagos to Kano with two train services a week and each train moves 500 tonnes.
“We are moving fertilizers from Lagos to Kaduna and from Lagos to Gombe with two trains a week and each train moves 600 tonnes.
“We also moved pipes from Lagos ENL Port Terminal to Zaria, with two trains a week and each train moves 600 tonnes,’’ the NRC official said.
According to him, each train has 20 wagons and each wagon moves 30 tonnes of goods while most trucks could only move 20 tonnes.
“If a haulage firm wants to move 1,200 tonnes of goods, it will need about 60 trucks which may affect operations and logistics at the port.
“Whereas only two trains will be needed to move them, thus preventing road accidents and making our roads last longer,’’ Oche said.
He said that many haulage firms had started making enquiries about the corporation’s freight services on the movement of their heavy goods.
“A lot of people and companies want to be convinced that we can do it, move their goods up to different parts of the country.
“Some even assumed that railway is dead but we’re slowly but steadily coming back,’’ Oche said, adding that the rail freight services was helping to decongest the ports.
He said that the corporation had also partnered with haulage firms on the movement of heavy goods from Lagos to different parts of the country.
Oche said that the rehabilitation of tracks linking coastal tank farms was underway to allow optimal use of pressurised tank wagons for lifting of petroleum products by rail.
