By Folarin Kehinde, Abuja
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced plans to deploy Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-powered trains and to expand the national rail network to 10,000 kilometres over the next five years as gas infrastructure opens along key corridors.
Managing Director of the NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, disclosed this during a monitored televised interview, stating that the corporation has concluded its LNG concept phase and successfully demonstrated the technology for 1 month, marking a major step toward cleaner, more efficient rail operations.
“We have completed the LNG concept and demonstrated it for one month. As soon as we get gas systems to the Lagos–Ibadan and Warri–Itakpe corridors, where gas is readily available, and resolve all regulatory issues, we will use gas to generate electricity to power the trains and move gas products,” he said.
Opeifa noted that adopting LNG aligns with Nigeria’s gas expansion agenda and will significantly cut operating costs while improving energy security for the rail sector.
Beyond energy transition, the NRC boss outlined an ambitious expansion plan for the national rail network.
According to him, Nigeria currently has about 4,000 kilometres of rail tracks, but the target is to reach 10,000 kilometres within the next five years and about 20,000 kilometres in the next 18 to 20 years.
“In the next five years, we hope to more than double the length of tracks to about 10,000 kilometres. By another 10 years after that, we want to move Nigeria to about 20,000 kilometres of rail lines,” he said.
Opeifa stressed that achieving these targets will require substantial private-sector participation, adding that government budgets alone cannot fund the scale of investment required.
“Our doors are open to the private sector for concessioning and other partnerships. The government is willing to provide sovereign guarantees for investments, as is done globally. The rail system is open because our budget alone cannot fund it,” he stated.
He also revealed that despite security concerns, host communities along the Warri–Itakpe corridor insisted that train operations should continue due to the economic activities generated by the rail line.
Looking ahead, Opeifa said the NRC is introducing digital systems and planning major network expansions, including the completion of the Lagos–Kano line, the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri corridor, and the linking of Ajaokuta to Abuja to enable seamless travel from the South-South to the North.
The NRC is also collaborating with several state governments, including Lagos, Zamfara, Plateau, Niger and Ogun, to maximise the use of rail assets. According to him, private operators are already taking advantage of new opportunities in the sector.
“We now have private sector operators getting licences to run on our tracks. CCEC Nigeria Limited, not China, is one of them. About 28 logistics companies are already licensed to move goods from Apapa Port.
If you have the resources to bring in locomotives and rolling stock, we will give you access to our tracks. Once the tracks are in use, the economy benefits,” Opeifa said.
He added that investor interest has been strong, noting that several licences have already been taken up in recent weeks, a development he described as a vote of confidence in Nigeria’s evolving gas-powered rail future.
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