In this article, Austin Maho of our editorial team examines the resurgence of railway transportation in Nigeria and the role Chinese funds and technology is playing in reviving our once moribund and decrepit rail network

Abuja/Kaduna railway line is the first standard gauge passenger railway line in Nigeria.

Since its commission in 2016 the railway line has become the lifeline, the game changer for passengers who regularly commute between the capital city of Abuja and Kaduna, the once administrative capital of Northern Nigeria.

A lifeline because of the security situation on the road between Abuja and Kaduna. The increasing insecurity associated with kidnappings and armed banditry on the road means commuters now have a safer alternative. A game changer because it is the first passenger standard gauge railway line in operation in the country; a major achievement of the Buhari administration under the railway modernization programme.

Since the railway line commenced commercial operations in July 2016, it has been high excitement for passengers. Many are dazed by the experience. The ambience, the air-conditioned coaches, the courteousness of staff, safety, and timeliness of the operation. The rail line has increased business volumes along its route, created jobs and boosted connectivity.

The 187 kms Abuja/Kaduna railway line is a segment of the 1,100 kms Lagos/Kano rail line. The railway line was built by CCECC through a concessionary loan from China and has become a symbol of Nigeria/China growing relationship through infrastructural development under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Speaking recently with the Nigerian Pilot a frequent user of the train services, Mrs. Ila Osahon, could not contain her excitement when asked to share her experience. She said she has been using the train services for almost two years and that it has brought her peace of mind and increased the volume of her business.

"I am a business woman and deal in textile. This railway line service has been a great boost to my business, I now travel in safety and comfort and it is cheaper too. I have been in business for over 15 years transmuting by road between Abuja and Kaduna, the roads were bad added to the situation was the state of insecurity on the road, my business slowed down significantly because I had to consider my safety and didn't want to become a victim of kidnappers, the coming of the railway line was a great relief and a great lift to my textile business. I want to thank the federal government for making this happen and bringing back the railway. I hope they would extend this kind of services to other parts of the country".

Umar Mohammed, a frequent user of the train services also added his voice and wondered why it took successive governments, so many years to, "understand the importance of effective railway services to economic development".

Nigeria as at 2016 had only about 3,505 kms of narrow gauge lines and they were all descript, abandoned and barely in use. The only 276kms of standard gauge line that connects Nigeria's steel complex in Ajaokuta, Kogi state with Alaja in Warri South Nigeria was not designed for passenger transportation, and was incomplete.

The railway modernization programme of the federal government of Nigeria was designed to revolutionary the railway network of Nigeria by totally overhauling the network changing the old and descript narrow gauge with the more modern standard gauge.

Two key projects form the bedrock of the railway modernization project.

At the core is the 1,100-kilometre freight and passenger line that runs between Lagos and Kano. There is the coastal line that runs between Lagos and Calabar, with branch lines linking other parts of the country.

The Abuja/Kaduna train service started commercial operation on July 27, 2016, following the smooth completion of the railway construction by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and the mother company China Rail Construction Company (CRCC) a Chinese construction giant that has been building complex infrastructural projects in Nigeria for over for decades.

The Abuja/Kaduna railway line is a segment of the larger Lagos/Kano standard gauge project and connects the coastal city of Lagos to Kano in northern Nigeria. The line is a part of Nigeria's railway modernization programme, which will eventually replace the colonial narrow gauge with the more modern standard gauge system all over the country, allowing for better, safer and faster railway network in Nigeria.

Another major segment of the project which has achieved over 90% completion is the 153 kms Lagos/Ibadan railway line. The line is critical because it would help decongest the major port in Nigeria, the Apapa port which have defied all attempts at decongestion over the years and has become a major clog in the economic development of Nigeria. Goods which ordinarily should be cleared within a week now take months. This is primarily because the port is not linked to a railway line. Ongoing construction of the Lagos/Ibadan railway line is designed to address this challenge and allow goods from the port to be freighted by the new standard gauge rail line to far flung parts of the country.

An industrialist's, Anslem Ebeleme, sees the extension of the railway line to Nigeria's premier port in Apapa as cherry news: "for me this is the best decision of government in tackling the Apapa port gridlock as it would ease movement of goods, boost trade and turnover. Cost of production would be reduced and this would trickle down to prices in the market".

From a historical perspective, the existing railways in Nigeria were conceived and constructed by the colonial administration.

"The British colonialist built the narrow gauge rail network across the country for the export of agricultural produce from the hinterlands to the port from where they were exported out of the country. The goal of the colonialists was to open up the hinterlands for exploitation of raw materials to feed the industrial needs of England and other European countries. It is easy to understand why these rail network were no longer viable and abandoned after the imperialists left the country". Said Frederic Oniawu, a former staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

The renewed push towards railway development in Nigeria, this time around has a different focus, which is to build connectivity for real development.

Nigeria is partnering with China through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China is providing the needed support through funds and the technology to actualize the vision.

China's transnational economic network otherwise known as the belt and road initiative was announced by President Xi Jinping in 2014. Many countries including Nigeria have signed up to the initiative as a result of the immense benefits it offers for investment inflows from China to member countries.

Connectivity make trade easier and by far cheaper which further creates prosperity and better standards of living for a win- win development which is the primary goal of the BRI. According to Chinese President Xi Jingping the BRI: "is China's plan for participating in global open cooperation, improving the global economic governance system, pushing forward global common development and prosperity and advancing the building of a community of shared future for mankind".

The African continent is the next frontiers of growth and development, but without the right investment in infrastructure especially roads and rails that aid connectivity, African would lose the momentum and again lose the prospect of growth in this century.

China through the BRI is leading the charge in changing the African narrative in terms of investment and development. The BRI has become a positive response to the developmental needs of African countries. Where the West have failed, China is filling the gap by providing concrete solutions to a problem of development that has held African countries down for decades.

There is a common saying among the Chinese that, "If you want to get rich, build a road", it embodies China's own domestic experience where massive infrastructural development was central to the rapid development of China. By providing the technology and funds for railways, roads and bridges, China is sharing its growth strategy with developing countries through the BRI platform.

The ongoing massive investments by the Chinese in railway development in Nigeria is a game changer that would bring about great benefits and prosperity to Nigerians and reduce endemic poverty and unemployment which has led to a general state of insecurity in the country especially in the northeast.

As if to underscore the importance of railway transport to the Nigerian economy, passenger traffic on the Abuja/Kaduna railway line has been on the increase, from less than 1000 daily passengers in 2017 it has ballooned to 3,7000 as at October 2019. According to Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi:"the actual number of passengers that the service can take for the sitting capacity is about 1,000 plus but we are carrying 3,700 daily".

The surge in passenger traffic has been constant, which has necessitated the procurement of more coaches and the commencement of hourly service on the route. This has brought succor to commuters and reduced scrabbling and ticket racketeering.

The Nigeria government is also determined to extend the benefits of standard gauge railway transportation to other parts of the country. In December of 2019, the government commenced free passenger ride on the near completed Lagos/Ibadan railway line as part of strategies to test run the track in preparation for commissioning and for commuters to have a taste of what is to come.

An early beneficiary of the free train services, Mr. Linus Ogboji described the experience as: "an eye-opener and a wonder to behold." He reasoned that Nigerians would soon drop their cars and opt for the rail: "This is comfortable and pleasurable, the Chinese have revolutionised train services in Nigeria." he said.