Rail: FG to ban heavy cargo transport by road

The Federal Government plans to ban the movement of certain category of cargoes on some roads after the completion of major railways in the country.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, made this disclosure in Lagos during a panel session on infrastructure development and financing at an event organised by Deloitte on Nigeria Economic Outlook 2020.

“As soon as we finish these rail projects, there are some types of cargo that will not go on road, whether you like it or not,” he said.

While giving an account of ongoing rail construction and other new ones to be constructed, he said it was important to transfer the cargo movement to the rail track, adding that this would enable the roads last longer.

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He said railway transportation for passengers was usually subsidised but was uncertain if cargo would be subsidised, adding that the cost of construction must be paid back.

“No matter what we charge, it will not be the same as what we charge you on goods,” he said.

The minister said movement of goods would be faster when they were moved by railways than roads, which would also be time-saving for businesses.

“When the FG does rail projects, it is the job of the state governments to do roads to (connect to) the different railway stations,” Amaechi added.

During the ministry’s last meeting with state governors , he said it was agreed that the States should construct roads that would take passengers out of the station, stressing that it was essentially the duty of the state governments and not the Federal Government to do the inner roads in their states.

The minister said that they also agreed that contractors could construct some few metres of roads out of the stations, but others were to be done by the state governments.