The Senate yesterday raised the alarm over the deteriorating state of Nigeria’s rail services, declaring that Abuja–Kaduna-bound trains now move more slowly than bicycles.
‘’If you are using a bicycle, you will get to Kaduna from Abuja faster than the train,’’ said Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
He made the remark while inaugurating an ad hoc committee to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the railway system.
The Adams Oshiomhole-led committee, which has six weeks to submit its report, will look into rail operations in the country, equipment quality and management efficiency.
Other members are Senators Hussaini Babangida, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Adamu Aliero, Wasiu Eshinlokun, Osita Ngwu, Solomon Adeola, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Ireti Kingibe, Ede Dafinone, Sahabi Yau and Abdul Ningi.
The constitution of the committee followed a robust debate by Senators on what they considered a sharp decline in operations along the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano rail corridor, once reputed as a flagship transport project.
Moved by the revelations, Akpabio said: “At a time, the train used to take about one and a half hours from Abuja to Kaduna, but passengers now spend more than three hours. ‘’We even gathered that Keke NAPEP from Abuja will arrive in Kaduna earlier.”
The state of the rail corridor was raised at the plenary by Senator Ningi, who, after citing order 42 of the Senate Standing Orders, narrated his recent ordeal on the route.
Ningi recalled that when operations commenced in 2015, the rail line ran 10 daily trips – five each way – conveying about 10,000 passengers every day. He said those figures have plummeted sharply.
“Two weeks ago, I travelled to Kaduna by train as I usually do, and what I discovered was disturbing,” he said. “The manager told me that from about 10,000 passengers daily, the number had dropped to between 800 and 900.”He added that daily shuttles had been reduced to just two – one from Abuja to Kaduna at 7 am and another from Kaduna to Abuja at 1.30 pm.
According to the Senator, when the railway operated at full capacity, it generated about N1.8 billion monthly. He warned that the current situation had eroded revenue and public confidence.
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Ningi said passengers spent more than three and a half hours on a journey that once took 90 minutes, with the train crawling for long stretches.
When the railway started, it was one and a half hours to Kaduna. Last week, we spent three and a half hours,” he said. “People had no alternative. This situation is deeply disturbing and should worry the Senate and Nigerians.”
The lawmaker also alleged that some equipment installed during the execution of the rail contract was second-hand, suggesting the country may have been short-changed.
The route recorded two tragic incidents in less than three years.
On 28 March 2022, a Kaduna-bound train with was attacked in Katari, with approximately 970 passengers on board was attacked by terrorists who arrived on motorbikes.
The second was on August 26, 2025, when another train derailed following the vandalisation of some tracks.
The 186.5-kilometre Abuja–Kaduna standard gauge rail line was inaugurated in 2016, after being initiated under the late President Umar Yar’Adua and completed by former President Goodluck Jonathan. Former President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated it.
The $1.64 billion project was executed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), with $500 million financed through a loan from China’s Exim Bank and the balance provided by the Federal Government.
*NRC targets 10,000km rail network in five years
While the Senate ordered a probe of the deplorable train services, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) unveiled an ambitious plan to expand its rail network from about 4,000 kilometres to 10,000 kilometres within the next five years and another 10,000 kilometres in 20 years.
The corporation’s Managing Director, Kayode Opeifa, made this known while outlining the direction of the rail sector and the scale of investment required to reposition it as a major driver of national growth.
Opeifa said Nigeria currently operates about 4,000 kilometres of rail lines, a figure he described as inadequate for a country of its size and economic ambition.
“In the next five years, we hope to increase the length of tracks to about 10,000 kilometres. By another 10 years after that, we want to move Nigeria to about 20,000 kilometres of rail lines,” he said.
Opeifa stated that achieving the target would depend largely on private sector participation.
According to him, the Federal Government remains open to concessioning arrangements and other partnership models.
He assured that sovereign guarantees would be provided to investors in line with global best practices.
“Our doors are open to the private sector for concessioning and partnerships. Government budgets alone cannot fund rail expansion at this scale, which is why we are encouraging private investment,” the NRC boss said.
He added that the expansion plan is part of a larger national rail roadmap that would soon be unveiled.
Opeifa noted that the corporation was working towards completing key rail corridors, including the Lagos-Kano, the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri and the Ajaokuta-Abuja routes to enable seamless movement of people and goods between the South and the North.
He added that both narrow gauge and standard gauge rail lines were operational, with the corporation embarking on aggressive recovery of locomotives, wagons and other rolling stock to improve efficiency and capacity utilisation.
Opeifa said that despite security challenges, rail services have continued nationwide. He attributed that to the commitment of railway engineers and artisans.
He called for community ownership of railway assets as a critical response to vandalism, particularly along the Warri-Itakpe corridor, where he said repeated attacks had forced the corporation to replace almost every section of track.
The NRC boss also said the corporation was collaborating with Lagos, Zamfara, Plateau, Niger and Ogun governments to increase rail usage and maximise existing assets.
Opeifa revealed that private operators were already participating in rail operations, with about 28 logistics companies licensed to move goods from Apapa Port to locations, including Oyingbo, Papalanto, Kajola, Omi Adio, Moniya and Osogbo.
“If you have the resources to bring in locomotives and rolling stock, we will give you access to our tracks because once the tracks are in use, the economy benefits,” he said.
