Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail ready soon – Amaechi

Tayo Afolabi |

The Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail project which is about 80 per cent completed and will be ready soon.

Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi disclosed this during the inspection of the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line in Agbor.

According to him, the rail line would be completed before the scheduled date, saying the tracks were ready, only the stations were left to be completed.

“It is between 70 to 80 per cent completed, but you must know that this job is meant to be completed in 2019.

“However, we are compelling them (the contractors) and because we are pushing them, they are working day and night to have it done.

“If it is the time frame, they are well ahead of schedule. It is meant to be completed in 2019 and what we are doing here is what we are doing in Lagos-Ibadan and that project is actually a three-year contract. But we are forcing them to complete it in one year.

“Just like this is supposed to end by 2019 but we are saying no, you must leave site before October.

In his remark, Mr Fidet Okhiria, the Managing Director, Nigeria Railway Corporation, said if the government waits for all the 12 train stations to be completed, the tracks will go bad. So, by September the train operation would commence maintaining the tracks.