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Nigeria was the first Country in Africa to have a well thought through and 'funded' railway system. After years of neglect and decay, passenger services have all but ceased across major tracks.
Lagos obtained its name from early Portuguese explorers. It would go on to become a key trading and merchant centre in West Africa.
With the establishment of stable government and legitimate trade, Lagos entered a period of prosperity and growth from which it has never looked back.
In 1895 the Lagos railway line began its march from Iddo to Ibadan, and was opened six years later on March 4, 1901. The first locomotives consisted of three locomotives manufactured by the Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd., of Leeds.
The original line ran north-west along the waterfront, from a point near Government House and the European residential area around the Race course, to Customs Wharf, where it turned north-east towards Ereko Market and Idumota. After the commencement of a 2ft. 6in.-gauge line over Carter Bridge in 1901, the Lagos Steam Tramway was opened in May 23, 1902.
Although these tracks ran between Zaria and Jos over a distance of 194 kilometers (121 mi) in the past, this line has since been closed and removed.
Over the course of the next 40 years, the NRC (Nigerian Railway Corporation) would experience several spells of bankruptcy.
In 2005 after several re-organizations of the system passenger transport was reduced to four departures weekly from Lagos of which two went to Kano, one to Jos and one to Maiduguri; from Port Harcourt four trains every week ran to Kano (two weekly), one weekly to Jos and one to Maiduguri. Currently, track conditions limit trains to a speed of 35 km/h.
Presently, the Nigerian Railway Corporation operates a network of 3,505 kilometers (2,178 mi) of single track lines, all have 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge. All trains are diesel locomotive operated. The railways own theoretically nearly 200 locomotives, of which up to 75% are not operational.
Though it is evident that railway transportation in other parts of the World contributes immensely contributes immensely towards the attainment of the economic and social goals, the Nigerian Railway transportation system has quite a long way to go.
Recently, a silver lining seems to have appeared in the sky following the importation of five out of the projected 25 units of locomotives for use by the Nigerian Railway Corporation as a fallout of an agreement signed between a US company, General Electric for the procurement of 25 new locomotives.
We believe this will help intensify the effort to modernize railway infrastructure and services as Nigeria starts its journey to 50.
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Source: Trains by Deandre Marcus and a History of the NRC by Akintokunbo A Adejumo.
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