NRC announces commencement of freight services to Ibadan, Abeokuta

Samuel Agbelusi

As part of efforts to ease perennial traffic and gridlocks caused by heavy-duty articulated vehicles from Lagos and the roads network in the Apapa axis, the Nigeria Railway Corporation has announced the start of freight services to its Abeokuta and Ibadan terminals from Apapa ports.

The announcement was made via Adesegun Osibowale the traffic and commercial officer of Nigeria Railway Corporation.

EnergyDay’s check revealed that the NRC planned to achieve this through the eighteen newly imported wagons dedicated for haulage from Apapa seaport.

The statement by Osibowale noted that the NRC is providing a massive warehouse to store goods before haulage. This according to the Corporation would take articulated vehicles carrying goods and petroleum products off the road from Apapa in Lagos to Oyo and Ogun states respectively.

The Managing Director, Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Engineer Fidet Okhiria, had once revealed that the Federal Government acquired 18 wagons to boost the inland container dry port business by moving cargo from Apapa seaport to dry ports in other states.

According to him, NRC has the capacity to evacuate 20-footer and 40-footer containers from Apapa port to Ijoko and Abeokuta, both in Ogun state and Omi-Adio railway depots, in Oyo state, for onward transfer by parked trucks.

With this announcement, EnergyDay noted some implications the train freight transportation will have on the oil and gas industry.

According to experts, about 80% of petroleum movements are done on the road and there has been a steady growth in the number of road tanker vehicles.

He said refined petroleum products are supposed to be transported from the three major refineries in Nigeria comprising Kaduna, Port-Harcourt, and Warri.

“The rail freight services will decongest the number of truck tankers and is one of the safest ways to transport refined petroleum products.

“Transportation of petroleum products will save cost and reduce pressure on the roads and it will reduce the cost of road maintenance for the government.

EnergyDay gathered that there is an estimate of 5000 tankers involved to move about 150 network litres of fuel by road from the port.