Tag: railway

  • We’ll seek loan to complete rail projects – Minister of Transportation

    We’ll seek loan to complete rail projects – Minister of Transportation

    The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, has revealed that the Federal Government will borrow money to ensure the completion of rail projects in the country.

    Sambo disclosed this yesterday while delivering the ministry’s scorecard in Abuja.

    He noted that “We don’t have the money. We are going to borrow anyway. So, we thought whatever the standard gauge will give us, the narrow gauge will also give us,” he said.

    Reacting to a question on why the South-East was restricted to narrow gauge rail lines, the minister said the zone was yet to be marginalised on the rail projects being executed by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)-led administration.

    “There is no deliberate attempt whatsoever to marginalise the South-East and if anything, that is the one part of the country that has benefited the most from PMB infrastructure projects.

    “The narrow gauge you probably are referring to is the one that runs from Maiduguri, all the way through Jos, up to Port Harcourt.

    “If that is the one you are talking about, first of all, I will let you know that Maiduguri, Jos, and several other cities the rail lines traversed are not in the South-East.”

    He also said there is the narrow gauge contract “that was being considered by my predecessor in office,” which had two options — “either to rehabilitate the narrow gauge at a cost of about $3 billion or to do a standard gauge at a cost of about $12 billion.”

    Speaking further, he said that the pros and cons of the corridor, the narrow gauge would convey more cargos, adding that the only difference between the narrow gauge and the standard gauge was the speed.

    However, while Justifying that the South-East zone benefited the most, the minister added, “the Buhari-led administration constructed the second Niger Bridge that had defied all previous governments.”

  • FEC Approves $2.8bn For Railway Equipment

    FEC Approves $2.8bn For Railway Equipment

    The federal executive council (FEC) has approved $2.81 billion for the procurement of rolling stocks and maintenance equipment for rail lines.

    The equipment is for the Ibadan to Kano and Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail lines.

    Rolling stock is a generic term used to denote anything on rail wheels.

    Rotimi Amaechi, the minister of transportation, announced this to state house correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday.

    He said the rolling stock would ensure that the trains, coaches and locomotives are adequately maintained.

    “I have an approval of the cabinet to procure rolling stocks, operational and maintenance equipment for the new railway projects corridors in Ibadan to Kano standard gauge and Port Harcourt to Maiduguri narrow gauge rail lines to the tune of $2,810,574,064.92, including 7.5 per cent tax,” he said.

    “Rolling stocks are consumables for the maintenance and operation of the railway.

    “So, currently, anytime you hear of break down, which was discussed in the cabinet, it’s because maybe we have run out of rolling stock and we’ve also run out of stock for the railway.

    “So, with this, we will replace all the rolling stock. They are essentially the consumables we use to maintain the trains, coaches and locomotives.”

    Last year, FEC had approved $11.17 billion for the Lagos-Calabar coastal rail project to link all coastal cities in the country by rail in six years.

  • Railway workers to embark on 3-days Warning strike

    Railway workers to embark on 3-days Warning strike

    Nigerian Railway workers will be embarking on a 3-day warning strike from Thursday, November 18 to November 20, 2021.

    The workers in a letter titled ‘’Notice and Directive to embark on 3- day warning strike nationwide,’’ dated November 12th and addressed to District Chairman/Secretary Nigeria Union of Railway workers and Senior Staff Association, noted that their “agitation for enhanced salary cannot be overemphasized as it is an open secret that the salary regime of the Nigerian Railway workers is the worst and most incomprehensible of all salary structures available to the parastatals under the supervision of the federal ministry of transport”.

    The workers stated that the Nigerian government spends billions in building railways which have no dint of impact or improvement in the welfare of the workers in terms of improved remuneration.

    The letter read;

    “The Honorable Minister of Transport once acceded to the fact that Nigerian Railway workers can easily be identified from the crowd by the way they look and dress which he meant to be strikingly suggestive of the very poor salary paid in the corporation.

    “It baffles us so much that the federal government spends billions of dollars on building rail transport infrastructure and transforming the system to a modern railway system but with no dint of impact or improvement in the welfare of the workers in terms of improved remuneration.

    “We wonder how long the Honorable Minister of Transport will keep avoiding the railway workers and consciously failing in getting better pay for the impoverished Nigerian Railway workers. We wonder how long we will wait before we get our demand for improved salary approved just like that of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) where workers’ salaries were recently upped by three hundred percent.”

    The Nigeria Union of Railwaymen (NUR) and its sister body, Senior Staff Association for the Statutory Corporation and Government-owned Company (SC GOC), had earlier given the Federal Government and the National Railway Corporation (NRC) a three-week ultimatum to address its welfare concerns to prevent an total industrial action across the country beginning from November 14.

  • It is Unjust  to Deny South East  of Functional  Railways – HURIWA

    It is Unjust to Deny South East of Functional Railways – HURIWA


    “We commend President Muhammadu Buhari for ensuring that there is continuity of the revolutionary railway resuscitation programme of the immediate past administration of the hitherto moribund Nigeria Railways in some parts of the Country, particularly in the North, South West, and South South geopolitical zones.

    However this commendation is incomplete because there is a stark injustice being meted out to the over 60 million Igbo speaking nationality and their neighbours in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers who don’t have the privilege of seeing their moribund railway tracks revived so services can be restored with speed and equanimity as are being done in Northern Nigeria and South West of Nigeria and some parts of Delta State”. 


    Making this commendation is the leading Civil Rights Advocacy group:- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) which observed that the revival of the Railways with modern coaches and reconstructed railway lines in the North, South West and around Warri in Delta State has seen a remarkable improvements in the smooth

    transportation of citizens and thereby saving millions of commuters a lot of man hours that would have been wasted commuting through the crime infested and malfunctional national networks.

    HURIWA is also happy that movements of goods from the Seaports are now in progress directly enroute or through the Railway services which will inevitably save the national roads network from damages that are unleashed by heavy duty vehicles that hitherto ferry haulage by road from the Apapa Seaport. 


    HURIWA in a media statement by the National coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, said the resuscitation of the Nigerian Railways will surely go down in history as one of the surest legacies of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, only if the federal government will fix the missing gap which is the non- availability of any sort of railway resuscitation in the South East, Rivers,  Cross Rivers axis of the Country.


    HURIWA is therefore appealing passionately to President Buhari through the transportation minister Mr. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to redress the injustice against the South East, Rivers and Cross Rivers axis of the Country by immediately commencing work to revive the Railways in Enugu Okigwe, Umuahia, Port Harcourt Aba, Uyo, Calabar which if done will significantly boost the transportation sector, and informal trades and would create thousands of Jobs.   

    The Rights group cited a recent scholarly work on the economic gains of efficient transportation system thus:- “Transportation is a non separable part of any society. It exhibits a very close relation to the style of life, the range and location of activities and the goods and services which will be available for consumption.

    Advances in transportation has made possible changes in the way of living and the way in which societies are organized and therefore have a great influence in the development of civilizations.

    This chapter conveys an understanding of the importance of transportation in the modern society by presenting selected characteristics of existing transportation systems, their use and relationships to other human activities.” 

    HURIWA quoted the scholars as affirming rightly that transportation is responsible for the development of civilizations from very old times by meeting travel requirement of people and transport requirement of goods.

    Such movement has changed the way people live and travel. In developed and developing nations, a large fraction of people travel daily for work,shopping and social reasons. But transport also consumes a lot of resources like time,fuel, materials and land.

    “HURIWA agrees with the academic conclusion that economics involves production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

    People depend upon the natural resources to satisfy the needs of life but due to non uniform surface of earth and due to difference in local resources, there is a lot of difference in standard of living in different societies.

    So there is an immense requirement of transport of resources from one particular society to other. These resources can range from material things to knowledge and skills like movement of doctors and technicians to the places where there is need of them”.   

    HURIWA is therefore calling on governors of the South East of Nigeria, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers to work in synergy with the minister of Transportation to address the clear lapses in railway resuscitation in their States. 

  • Nigerians react as FG approves $1.96 billion for construction of rail from Kano to Niger Republic

    Nigerians react as FG approves $1.96 billion for construction of rail from Kano to Niger Republic

    Nigerians have reacted to federal government’s approval of $1,959,744,723.71 contract for a rail line that would link Nigeria to Niger Republic.

    Speaking after a federal executive council meeting which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi told State House correspondents that the money approved for the development of the proposed rail line linking Kano-Dutse-Katsina-Jibia and to Maradi in Niger Republic was inclusive of Value Added Tax.

    The rail contract which was initially budgeted in the 2018 Appropriation will connect at least seven cities in Nigeria and one city in Niger Republic and is expected to start from Kano and pass through Dambatta, Kazaure, Daura, Mashi, Katsina, Jibia and terminate in Maradi, Niger Republic.

    It will connect about three states of Jigawa, Kano and Katsina and when completed, would assist in the supply of crude oil from Niger Republic to the refinery being built in the border town between both countries.

    Amaechi said; 

    “Two memos for the Ministry of Transportation were approved by the council. The first one is the award of contract for the design, manufacture, supply, testing and commissioning of one railway crane of 150 ton capacity for emergency and recovery of rolling stocks.

    “This is to sort out say situations of accident on the track. It is for a total cost of N3,049,544,000. That’s the first memo that was approved for the Ministry of Transportation.

    “The second one is the award of contract for the development of the proposed Kano-Katsina-Jibia to Maradi rail line in Niger Republic and to Dutse, the capital of Jigawa, for a total cost of $1,959,744,723.71, inclusive of 7.5% VAT.”

    However reacting to the approval, some Nigerians insisted that it was a misplacement of priority in a country facing intractable problems of insecurity and harsh economic conditions arising from hikes in fuel price and electricity tariff.

    Here are some comments below; 

    Nigerians react as FG approves $1.96 billion for construction of rail from Kano to Niger Republic
    Nigerians react as FG approves $1.96 billion for construction of rail from Kano to Niger Republic
    Nigerians react as FG approves $1.96 billion for construction of rail from Kano to Niger Republic
    Nigerians react as FG approves $1.96 billion for construction of rail from Kano to Niger Republic
    Nigerians react as FG approves $1.96 billion for construction of rail from Kano to Niger Republic
    Nigerians react as FG approves $1.96 billion for construction of rail from Kano to Niger Republic

    RELATED POSTS:

    China moves faster to resume railway construction

    FG approves $1.9m rail line to link Nigeria to Niger Republic

    Port Harcourt – Bonny – Maiduguri Rail to commence soon, Says Amaechi

  • China moves faster to resume railway construction

    China moves faster to resume railway construction

    China has been accelerating railway construction amid its ongoing efforts of epidemic prevention and control, and will open another 2,300 km of high-speed rail lines by the end of the year, which will make people’s traveling more convenient and bolster economic development.
    For the first half of the year, 115 large and medium-sized infrastructure projects under construction nationwide have fully resumed work, with over 600,000 people participating in over 8,000 construction sites.
    Fixed-asset investment in national railway projects stood at 325.8 billion yuan (about $46.5 billion), up by 1.2 percent year-on-year.
    Since the end of May, six new lines across the country, including two new high-speed lines, have opened. By July 1, there have been 1,178 km of railway lines put into operation, with 605 km of high-speed rail lines.
    These lines have added more convenience to transportation, while facilitating the flow of personnel, materials, and information.
    The country is expected to start construction of a total of 22 projects in 2020 with investment exceeding 500 billion yuan (over $71 billion).
    Creating more jobs, the development of the railway industry will boost relevant industries including construction, electronics, mechanical engineering and the information industry.
    Source: People’s Daily Online

  • Complete epidemic control measures reassure us: Indonesian employee working for Jakarta- Bandung high-speed railway

    Complete epidemic control measures reassure us: Indonesian employee working for Jakarta- Bandung high-speed railway

    By Asih Lestari

    I took my first high-speed rail trip in China in 2015. Both the clean and comfort carriages and the
    convenient services impressed me very much.
    Since then, I've been hoping that Indonesia can build its own high-speed rails and that I can
    personally take part in the construction. Therefore, when learning the open recruitment of the
    Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway undertaken by the Power Construction Corporation of China
    (POWERCHINA), I signed up at the first opportunity and fortunately became an employee of the
    company in Feb. 2017. At present, I translate and manage Indonesian employees at the first work
    area of the first division of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project. Besides, I also join
    external coordination affairs.
    The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway is a signature China-Indonesia joint project under the
    Belt & Road Initiative. Upon completion, it will reduce the travel time between the two places
    from 3 hours to 40 minutes.
    My work area is responsible for constructing the No.1 tunnel of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed
    railway. Located in suburban Jakarta, the tunnel goes underneath residential areas, light rail
    overpass and express ways. It is one of the 26 most important and difficult sections along the high-
    speed railway for its complicated geological conditions and high safety risks.
    The No.1 tunnel is also the only tunnel holed through with shield-driven method along the Jakarta-
    Bandung high-speed railway. A huge Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) was employed to construct
    the tunnel, the largest of its kind ever being operated in Southeast Asia.
    Indonesian government officials, as well as personnel from engineering and academic institutions
    flocked to the construction site for observation, learning experiences for Indonesia's independent
    engineering projects in the future.
    I didn't know much about the shield-driven method at the beginning, so I consulted different
    materials in my spare time. Every time I encountered a problem, my Chinese colleagues were
    always there explaining to me patiently. This has not only expanded my knowledge base, but also
    improved my capability.
    The COVID-19 pandemic is still rampant in Indonesia, and the project site has taken
    comprehensive prevention and control measures. The site must be disinfected three times a day,
    and all employees are requested to wear masks in public space. Site employees take body
    temperatures twice a day, and enter the construction area only after disinfection and wearing
    masks. Safety distance is also kept at the site. Besides, an international SOS medical center has
    been established at the site to cope with emergencies. The complete epidemic control measures
    reassure us, and make us concentrating on the work.
    Under the joint efforts of both Chinese and Indonesian constructors, everything is going well with
    the No.1 tunnel. Over 51 percent of the total workload has been completed so far.
    The project department also actively fulfills its social responsibility, donating masks, disinfectants
    and milk to local hospitals. The packages of the donation were painted "Friendship and Mutual
    Assistance" in both English and Chinese, which carried the wish of the Chinese company to
    jointly fight the pandemic with the Indonesian people.
    The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway has created abundant jobs for young Indonesian students

    and engineers, cultivated a batch of local constructors, and driven economic and social
    development along its route. I looking forward to taking the high-speed train after the project is
    completed and feeling the joy to be brought by my contribution. I also hope that high-speed
    railway can extend to my hometown Sumatra in the near future.
    (The article is based on People’s Daily journalist Xu Wei’s interview with Asih Lestari, director
    of the general office at first work area of the first division of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed
    railway project.)

  • “I feel proud to stick to my job on the railway artery”

    “I feel proud to stick to my job on the railway artery”

    By Harrison Kimani

     

    I was born in the 1990s and became an attendant for the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)three years ago and later a chief conductor.

     

    I now serve at the dispatching center of the railway operator, mainly responsible for dispatching the trains, monitoring their operations and providing assistance in emergencies.

     

    Contracted and built by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR is the first newly built railway in Kenya in nearly a century.

     

    As an important part of the standard-gauge railway project in Kenya,the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR has greatly driven economic and social development along the route since it opened on May 31, 2017.

     

    In 2019, the average attendance rate of the SGR passenger trains reached 95 percent. Besides, 16 freight trains run on a daily basis along the railway, transportingsix million tons of cargos.

     

    Sincethe COVID-19 outbreak in Kenya, the country has taken strict safety measures.Though theSGR suspended its passenger service, it is still transporting freights, ferrying medical supplies and daily necessities to different parts of Kenya.

     

    To ensure orderly operation of the railway and avoid the risk of infection during the commute, many Kenyan employees volunteered to station at workplaces.

     

    As the dispatching center is crucial to the safe operation of the railway and has to be equipped with adequate personnel, I also volunteered to stay.

     

    The company has worked hard to ensure the safety and health of the employees that chose to stay at workplaces,and provided us with masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, goggles and other supplies. Itwasreally heartwarming andreassuring.

     

    During this period of time, my colleagues and I worked extra hours with a sense of duty.

     

    Consilia, head of train drivers, got up at 5 a.m. every day to take the temperature of on-duty drivers, made sure the trains were disinfected and the employees wore masks and gloves and washed hands.

     

    I’m inspired by my colleagues’devotion, and feel proud to stick to my job on the railway artery during the pandemic.

     

    Nearly 80 percent of the employees working at the operator of the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR are from Kenya.The Chinese side has shared experience in railway construction and operation with them and helped them grasp and understand relevant skills and knowledge in a more comprehensive and professional way, which helps facilitate the localization of the company and the railway development in Kenya.

     

    Recently, the Chinese side has doubled its training courses for Kenyan employees to 16 every month and enabled each employee to receive training for eight times every month, up from the original four times.

     

    As I once studied at Shandong Normal Universityof China and could speak both fluent Mandarin and English, I volunteered to be a translator in the training courses and benefited a lot from the courses.

     

    In recent years,China and Kenya have continuously deepened cooperation in railway construction under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

     

    The first phase of the Nairobi-MalabaSGR, contracted by China Communications Construction, opened on October 16, 2019 and I witnessed the precious moment on the first train departing.

     

    As the extension of the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR, the first phase of the railway linking Nairobi and Malaba has improved the standard gauge railway network of Kenya and solidified the position of the country as a regional transport and logistics hub.

     

    I hope that railway will bring prosperity and hope to every corner of Kenya after the pandemic ends.

     

    (The article is based on People’s Daily journalist LyuQiang’s interview with Harrison Kimani, a Kenyan administrator at the dispatching center of the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR operator.)