Just in: FG commences freight services on Apapa-Ibadan rail.

The Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali, inaugurated the first cargo movement from the Lagos-Ibadan rail corridor during his first official tour of the rail corridor on Tuesday.

The minister kicked off the tour at the Ebute Meta station before proceeding to Apapa for the launch, then traveled to Ibadan using the 157 km rail corridor.

Three coaches of 30 wagons were loaded as the inaugural freight movement was kicked off.

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The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) said it would start with three coaches per day with its Managing Director (MD) noting that the corporation had the capacity to scale up the numbers.

This effort is expected to decongest the Apapa port as shippers moved 92.28 percent of Nigeria’s total exports and 60.77 percent of imports through the facility in the first quarter of 2022 (Q1’22).