By Omotilewa Quadri
In the wake of recent tanker accident which killed over 10 people and consumed 54 vehicles in Lagos last week, the Nigeria Railways Corporation (NRC) said transporting the petroleum product by rail is the way to go.
Managing Director of NRC, Engr. Fidet Okhiria called on petroleum marketers to consider movement of their products by rail, saying this remains the safest means of conveying the product which would also free the highways and minimize accidents by tankers.
The NRC had procured 40 pressurized tank wagons worth N1.2bn that can take 1.8 million litres of fuel per train.
Okhiria said the NRC has already finalized agreement with a firm to move diesel from Lagos to Dagbolu, a town near Oshogbo, the state capital.
He said NRC was ready to allow the oil marketers provide their tank wagons if they cannot use the wagons being provided by the railway.
“Rail is the safest way to go. We are working hard to ensure that we are able to use those new standard tank wagons and before the end of the month, we would start from Apapa to Oshogbo,” he added.
The NRC boss also gave insight into the interim concession agreement with the General Electric for the Lagos-Kano and Port Harcourt – Maiduguri narrow gauge line, disclosing that the GE track engineers would arrive Nigeria next week.
General Electric, he said, would bring 200 wagons and 10 locomotives to boost the narrow gauge operations, adding that the GE engineers would work with the NRC engineers in the course of the concession.
He also disclosed that the Ajaokuta-Warri-Itakpe standard gauge line is ready for test-run this month.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.