Nigeria’s transport network has expanded in recent years to accommodate a growing population. The transport and storage sector was valued at N2.6trn ($6.9bn) in current basic prices in 2020, down from N3trn ($8bn) in 2019, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This was reflected in a lower contribution to GDP, at 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2020, down from 2.1% during the same period the previous year but higher than the 0.8% recorded in the third quarter of 2020. One of the most significant challenges facing the sector is meeting the needs of both large coastal cities and rural inland communities in order to fully unlock the country’s economic potential. This is especially the case with mining and agriculture, both of which are expected to benefit from two large-scale projects: the Lekki Port in Lagos and the Kano-Maradi rail line in the north of the country.
Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade center and a major transportation hub as the gateway to northern states of Nigeria, with its rail and important road network.
Ajaokuta is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria and a town within it on the left bank of the Niger River. The headquarters of the LGA are in the town of Egayin in the south of the area at 6°40′11″N8°48′19″E.
Itakpe is a town in Kogi State, Nigeria. The Itakpe Hills in and around the town of Itakpe contain very pure deposits of iron ore. The National Iron Ore Mining Company is located here. It supplies the steel works of Ajaokuta and Aladja, as well as producing ore for export.
China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., doing business as China Railway (CR), is the national passenger and freight railroad corporation of the People's Republic of China.
Nigerian Railway Corporation is the state-owned enterprise with exclusive rights to operate railways in Nigeria.
Railways in Nigeria consist of a 3,505 km Cape gauge national railway network and 669 km of standard gauge. The Cape gauge network is in poor condition due to lack of maintenance. In 2019, the single operational standard gauge line from Abuja to Kaduna generated as much revenue as the entire Cape gauge railway network combined. The Nigerian government plans to extend the standard gauge to replace most of the Western Line, while the Eastern Line will be rehabilitated as a Cape gauge line. All trains in Nigeria are operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
Lagos Rail Mass Transit is a rapid transit system in Lagos State. The rail system is managed by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). The railway equipment including electric power, signals, rolling stock, and fare collection equipment will be provided by the private sector under a concession contract. LAMATA is responsible for policy direction, regulation, and infrastructure for the network. The first section of the network, Phase I of the Blue Line, was originally planned to be completed in 2011, though the construction has suffered many delays caused by shortage of funds and change of government. The Blue Line opened on September 4, 2023 and the Red Line opened on February 29, 2024.
Railway stations in Nigeria include:
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd. was established in June 1979 under the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
Abuja Rail Mass Transit commonly known as Abuja Light Rail is an abandoned regional rail transport system in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. It was the first rapid transit system in the country, West Africa, and the second such system in sub-saharan Africa. The first phase of the project connects the city center to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, stopping at the Abuja-Kaduna Railway station in Idu. The Abuja Metro Line was launched on 12 July 2018 and a three-trains-per-day service opened for passengers the following week. Passenger services on the line were suspended in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had still not resumed as of September 2023.
Transport in Lagos currently consists of four modes: road, water, rail and air.
Lagos Terminus, also known as Lagos Iddo, has been the main railway station of the city of Lagos until 2021. The rail terminus is located on Iddo Island, nearby Lagos Island and in the middle of the city.
Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL) popularly known as Ajaokuta Steel Mill is a steel mill in Nigeria, located in Ajaokuta, Kogi State, Nigeria. Built on a 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) site starting in 1979, it is the largest steel mill in Nigeria, and the coke oven and by-products plant are larger than all the refineries in Nigeria combined. However, the project was mismanaged and remains incomplete 40 years later. Three-quarters of the complex have been abandoned, and only the light mills have been put into operation for small-scale fabrication and the production of iron rods.
Urban rail transit in Africa has emerged as a growing form of transit due to rapid urbanization that has occurred in recent decades across the continent. Some of these transit systems are older and more developed, such as the metro in Cairo which opened in 1987. Others such as the light-rail system in Addis Ababa are much more recent, which opened in 2015. A variety of technologies are being used ranging from light-rail, bus rapid-transit, and commuter-rail etc. Africa for several decades saw minimal investment in rail infrastructure, but in recent years due to urban population growth and improved financing options, investment in rail networks has increased.
The Ujevwu–Itakpe Railway is a standard gauge railway in Nigeria that connects the port city of Warri to the inland town of Itakpe. Construction began in 1987 on an industrial railway to supply the Ajaokuta Steel Mill with iron ore and coal. After a protracted construction period of more than 30 years, the railway was finally inaugurated in 2020 as a mixed freight and passenger line. Construction is underway on an extension to Abuja, where it will connect to the Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway.
Abubakar Abubakar Kabir is a Nigerian politician. He is a current member of the Federal House of Representatives, and the chairman of the Committee on Works. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2019, under the platform of the All Progressives Congress party, representing the Bichi Federal Constituency.
Lagos-Calabar Railway also known as West-East Coastal Rail Line is a 1,400 kilometres standard-gauge coastal railway from Lagos to Calabar. Connecting Lagos State in Southwest to the Southern Coastal cities in the south.
On 28 March 2022, an Abuja–Kaduna train was attacked in Katari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. In response, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) briefly halted operations along the route.
