The much awaited multi-billion Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line project will be completed soon and passengers will be able to travel from the Rivers State capital to the Borno State capital by November, the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Audu Umar has said.

The minister rekindled the hope of Nigerians in using train to travel from the oil and gas rich Port Harcourt to Maiduguri following the conclusion of an on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing execution of the project.

Umar disclosed this when he spoke to journalists in the Gombe State capital, Gombe after inspecting the Bauchi-Gombe-Maiduguri rail line which is presently under construction.

He revealed that work on was nearing completion, even as he maintained that the federal government was determined to deliver more dividends of democracy to Nigerians through its transformation agenda.

According to him, the step taken by government would alleviate the cost of travelling by road and its attendant risks.
“At the moment, we are concentrating on bringing back to life the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri line which spans Port Harcourt, Enugu, Makurdi, Lafia, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and up to Maiduguri. We hope that by November this year, the trains will be back on track,” he said.

Umar said that work on the tracks was going on simultaneously with the standard gauge line, to meet up with modern trends in the rail transportation system.

“While that is going on, we are assiduously constructing the standard gauge line, with a view to bringing the modernization in the railway system to Nigeria. Contract for the Lagos-Ibadan double track has been signed. We do hope that before the end of the year, contractors will mobilise to site”, he said.

He explained the involvement of the private sector in the revival of the railway, saying “Nigeria cannot be an island. The country has to be in tune with other countries of the world that have allowed the private sector to play a key role, with the country providing the enabling environment. That is what is been done now.”

Umar stated that the focal point of the Goodluck Jonathan administration is the total transformation of all the sectors, adding that the Gombe axis was facing greater challenges with the collapse of the Bomala Bridge in Akko Local Government Area of the state as well as Jerkwami and Garin Wandara bridges in Funakaye Local Government Area which also requires serious attention.

His words: “Government acknowledges some of the challenges especially along Maiduguri axis, because of the security issues. The Nigerian government, no doubt is on top of the security challenge. Very soon, this should be over and we shall have the trains running from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.”