The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC, has been awarded Nigeria’s $3.02bn Eastern Railway contract.
Railway-technology.com reported that CCECC, a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation, CRCC, had signed a contract with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Transportation for the development of the Nigerian Eastern Railway.
The Federal Executive Council had approved the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Eastern Narrow Gauge.
FEC also okayed the project at a cost of $3.02bn, according to a recent statement from the Federal Government.
Although the Federal Government has not yet issued an official statement on the award of the contract, an official of the Ministry of Transportation, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the contract has been awarded to CCECC.
Railway-technology.com reports that the scope of the contract includes the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the railway network spanning from Port Harcourt to the northern city of Maiduguri.
This eastern railway network, which passes through 12 states, connects several important cities in the eastern region.
Apart from the development work on the current eastern railway line, the project will also involve the construction of additional branch tracks.
When completed, the renewed railway network will be interconnected with standard gauge railways, along with connections to ports and key cities.
With five horizontal and three vertical railways, the proposed Nigerian railway network is expected to facilitate industrial development and commercial activities.
Source: Punch
