The first railway in Nigeria was opened in 1898 between Lagos and Abeokuta, a distance of 96km. In common with the railways of other British colonies in Africa, the chosen gauge was 3ft 6in (1067mm), and this gauge was used for subesquent expansion.
The present day network reaches many parts of the country but coverage is sparse. In particular, the capital, Abuja, is not rail served. The 1067mm gauge lines are very run down and underutilized. Passenger services are advertised on major routes but are notoriously unreliable. Moves towards privatisation or public / private partnerships for all or part of the rail network seem bogged down by politics, vested interests and general lethargy. A similar malaise seems to affect new rail projects, notably a link from Minna to Abuja and from there to Kano.
In 1991 new standard (1435mm) gauge line opened to connect iron ore workings in the Itakpe area with steel works at Ajaokuta. Proposals to extend the line from Ajaokuta to a coastal port at Warri (a distance of around 275km) emerged soon afterwards, but here again construction has been constantly delayed by political and financial difficulties. Despite this it is hoped that the line will eventually open in 2011.
A light rail transit systems is planned for Lagos and construction appears set to go ahead under Chinese initiatives. A number of monorail systems are proposed, including an ambitious 6 lines system in Enugu, but of these only the Calabar project has reached ground-breaking stage.
© 2006-2011
Glyn Williams
Photo image © Joshua
Adetunji Odeleye
Flag image from CIA World Factbook
