The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) handling the reconstruction of the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri narrow gauge railway says it has completed the laying of tracks on the Port Harcourt to Aba section of the eastern narrow gauge railway.
In a post published on the social media platform X, John Zhao, who is an official of CCECC, announced the completion of the Port Harcourt to Aba section.
“New year, new progress! The track laying from Port Harcourt to Aba on the Nigeria Eastern Narrow-Gauge Railway project has been completed by #CCECC,” Zhao wrote.
The Nigeria Eastern Narrow-Gauge Railway, which stretches over 2044.1 kilometers, connects Nigeria’s second largest port city, Port Harcourt, with the northern city of Maiduguri, passing through 12 states and numerous major cities in the eastern region. It is a vital component of Nigeria’s railway network and will greatly improve connectivity between local railways, ports, and cities.
Recently, the MD of Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria, promised that track laying from Port Harcourt to Aba rail section would be ready in 15 days.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari had in March 2021, performed the groundbreaking ceremony to commence the $3.2 billion reconstruction of the rail line, which was originally built by the British before Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
Buhari at the flag off said, “the connection of the railway to a new seaport in Bonny Island and Railway Industrial Park, Port Harcourt is designed to increase the viability and boost transhipment of cargo and freight locally, across the West African sub-region and in the Continental Free Trade Area.”
The Eastern Line originally runs from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri spanning 10 states across the South-South (Rivers), South East (Abia and Enugu), North Central (Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau), North East (Bauchi, Gombe, and Borno) and slightly North West because of Kafanchan and the branch line to Kaduna Junction linking the Western Line.
However, in the reconstruction design, the number of the connected states was increased to 14 with the addition of Ebonyi, Anambra and Imo in the South-east and Yobe in the North-east in addition to a line linking a proposed new deep seaport in Bonny as well as an oil and gas logistics hub.
The project was initially expected to be delivered before the expiration of Buhari’s tenure but due to the failure of Nigeria to secure the needed foreign loans to finance 85% of the project cost, the delivery target was no longer feasible. However in April 2023, the federal government announced the commencement of the reconstruction of the eastern rail line basically from budgetary allocations.
The federal government had said the Port Harcourt-Enugu section was the first target in the project.