Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the award of contracts for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Port Harcourt – Maiduguri eastern narrow gauge railway at the cost of $3,020,279,549.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed this Wednesday while briefing State House journalists at the end of the virtual FEC meeting.
He said, “The railway line will be at the cost of $3,020,279,549. The industrial park, which is under Public Private Partnership (PPP) at no cost to federal government, will cost $241,154,389.31. They’ve also approved the construction of a new deep seaport in Bonny, under PPP and the construction of a railway industrial park in Port Harcourt.
“The Bonny deep seaport will cost $461,924,369, at no cost to the federal government,” Amaechi said.
He further explained additions to the existing railway. “The Port Harcourt to Maiduguri narrow gauge railway will have new branch lines: from Port Harcourt to Bonny and from Port Harcourt to Owerri are new lines.
“There’s another connecting narrow gauge to standard gauge at Kafanchan. There is a branch line from Gombe or before Maiduguri to Damaturu and Gashua. That’s what has been approved.”
Adedayo Akinwale
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