More than two years after the inauguration of the $1.5 billion Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in September finally began cargo haulage on the facility from the Port Complex in Apapa, Lagos State to the Dry Inland Container Port in Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari had inaugurated the 157-kilometre rail on 10 June 2021 for passenger services and to ease cargo evacuation from Apapa port. The facility was installed to reduce the burden of containers on the roads, as well as congestion at the ports and access routes.
While it started passenger services five days after the inauguration, NRC missed several deadlines for the commencement of the cargo operations due to some setbacks.
