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The Port Harcourt to Aba rail line is billed to commence full operations by the end of March, The Eastern Updates has gathered.
This was made known by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, who was on an inspection visit to the facility in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
Okhiria said the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) handling the project have assured the NRC that by the end of March, travellers would be able to travel to and from Aba by train.
He further said there are plans to link the Onne Port to the rails for the movement of goods to Aba, Umuahia, and Enugu.
Read Also: Soludo To Introduce Rail System To Ease Movement Of Goods
“What I can tell Nigerians is that we were able to ride on a train, unlike last time when we went by road to Aba. We went on a train to Elelewa because we had other things to do,” he said.
“We looked at the Port Harcourt Port and see how we are going to access Onne from Elelewa. We did that and compared it to make they had put on ground as a preliminary design. Physical siting will make us make a quick decision on a final design so that we will able to recommend to the minister for approval.
“We just finished a meeting now and the timeline and everything. We are putting pressure that by the end of March, we should be able to start. That is what we have in mind.”
In another report, tragedy struck at Azia Junction along the Owerri-Ihiala Expressway in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra as a solitary accident claimed the lives of both a truck driver and his assistant.
Mr. Adeoye Irelewuyi, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra, verified the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka, affirming that it took place on Friday.
