President Muhammadu Buhari will, on March 9, perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the Eastern rail corridor.
The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi disclosed this during the inspection tour to all the stations from Mobolaji Johnson Station at Ebuta Metta to Ibadan station over the weekend.
He further disclosed that the President has also approved the redirecting of the Eastern line to two new spurs namely: Abakaliki, Ebonyi State and Awka, Anambra State.
Similarly, the Minister mentioned that the FG has approved the commencement of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail project and is also negotiating loans for the Lagos-Calabar rail project.
On the take-off of the Ibadan-Kano rail project, Amaechi informed that the government is still seeking approval for a loan to enable it to take off.
Speaking on the Lagos-Ibadan rail project, Amaechi noted that he has challenged Messrs. China Civil Engineering and Construction Company to deploy global acceptable safety and security standards for the project. He directed that a central cooling system be installed in all the major train stations along that route.
