The Federal government on Thursday re-launched freight services from the Dala inland dry port in Kano to the Apapa port terminal in Lagos using the narrow-gauge railway.
Speaking during the commissioning of the freight movement at the Dry Port in Kano, the Minister of Transportation, Said Alkali said the service will ease the movement of goods from the seaport to the hinterland.
“The fixing of the narrow guage was to ensure the resumption of freight service from Lagos to Kano being the commercial nerve centre of northern Nigeria without interrupting the standard guage construction.”
The Minister explained that before the re-launch of freight services on the 1,132-kilometer corridor, a trial run was conducted, moving import containers from Apapa Port in Lagos State to Dala Inland Dry Port in Kano State, successfully transporting numerous 40ft containers from Lagos to Kano in just a few days.
According to the Minister, the federal government’s intention for the newly resumed railway service to significantly enhance the transportation of import and export containers. He noted that the resumption of freight services on the Lagos-Kano narrow gauge railway is expected to yield several positive outcomes.
