Abuja Kaduna Rail for Completion December

The Federal Government has
assured Nigerians of its
commitment to ensure that the
Abuja-Kaduna railway is
completed by December 2014.

The Minister of Transport,
Senator Idris Umar who gave the
assurance shortly after the
inspection of the rail
modernisation project from Idu
to Jere project sites in Kaduna
State on Friday, said the Abuja-
Kaduna railway will certainly be
completed by the end of this
year.

Umar said that the project is on
course and explained that all
necessary support required by
the contractors handling the
project, have been provided by
the Federal Government in order
to ensure that the December
2014 deadline is met.

He expressed satisfaction over
the work done so far, insisting it
is part of the Federal
Government's transformation
agenda in the Transport sector
to re-position the rail sub sector
by developing standard gauge as
modern rail system in the
country.

According to him: "Abuja-Kaduna
railway is very strategic to
Nigeria as a country and to the
Government in particular noting
that "we are achieving a very
huge milestone in the
development of inter-modal
transport system in Nigeria".
He said further that the corridor
has reached about 72 per cent
completion level and work is
going on assiduously adding
that the major structural works
are almost completed.

'You can see that the work is
going on assiduously, the
bridges are almost completed so
also culverts and overpass
bridges among others.
The minister who was in a train
ride from Idu to Gwagwa Karimu
was accompanied by his
Permanent Secretary, Engr.

Nebolisa Emodi, the Director of
Rail and Mass Transit in the
ministry, Engr Gafar Bature, the
Managing Director of NRC, Engr.
Oluwaseyi Sijuade and some top
officials in the ministry.

He argued that this particular
project and other projects in the
other sectors of the economy
spread across the country are
the testimonies of the fact that
Mr President has transformed the
country.
On the challenges facing the
projects, the minister said that
efforts are being made to ensure
that the two major constraints
which include water interference
at km 19 and certain estates built
along the rail lines at Kubwa are
addressed by the relevant
authorities in the FCT.

Reference: Vanguard