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In September 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the Warri-Itakpe passenger railway line. This is part of his directive to the Federal Ministry of Transportation to link all the nation’s ports to the rail network. The aim is to significantly improve overall transportation and economic activities around Nigeria. The Nigerian Railway Corporation has plans to link this railway with all the nation’s ports of origin and destination- Apapa, Tin Can, Warri, Onne, and Calabar ports. This Itakpe-Warri rail line currently passes through Itakpe, Ajaokuta, Agbor and Ore, and has six stations along the route. The rail tracks had existed for over 30 years but it was used to transport raw materials between the steel plants in Itakpe, Ajaokuta and Ovwian-Aladja. Built in 1987 during the administration of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri railway was operational for some years before it was abandoned. In 1999, plans to revive it were on the table but it wasn’t until 2018 that concrete plans were made. It was last year this single-track 326-km railway project was eventually commissioned for commercial use. The rail line had a three month free train test period before it was opened to the public in January 2021. Below are the schedules, names of train stations and cities you can stop at when you travel by train via the Warri-Itakpe route:
Warri – Itakpe
Departure point – Alfred Rewane Station, Ujevwu (Udu LGA) – 8:00 am Arrives at Micheal Ibru Station, Okpara – 8:27 am, departs at 8:30 am Arrives at David Ejoor Station, Abraka – 8:50 am, departs at 8:55 am Arrives at Goodluck Jonathan Railway Complex, Agbor – 9:21 am, departs at 9:26 am Arrives at Samuel Ogbemudia Station, Igbanke – 9:46 am, departs at 9:49 am Arrives at Tom Ikimi Station, Ekehen – 10:11 am, departs at 10:14 am Arrives at Anthony Enahoro Station, Uzea-Uromi – 10:38 am, departs at 10:53 am Arrives at George Innih Station, Agenegbode – 11:16 am, departs at 11:19 am Arrives at Augustus Aikhomu Station, Itogbo – 11:38 am, departs at 11:40 am Arrives at Abubakar Olusola Saraki Station, Ajaokuta – 12:06 am, departs at 12:11 am Arrives at Adamu Attah Station, Itakpe – 12:47 am.Sign up to the Connect Nigeria daily newsletter
Itakpe – Warri
Departure point – Itakpe – 14:00 am Arrives at Ajaokuta – 14:36 am, departs at 14:41 am Arrives at Itogbo – 15:07 am, departs at 15:09 am Arrives at Agenegbode – 15:28 am, departs at 15:31 am Arrives at Uzea-Uromi – 15:53 am, departs at 16:08 am Arrives at Ekehen – 16:32 am, departs at 16:35 am Arrives at Igbanke – 17:01 am, departs at 17:04 am Arrives at Agbor – 17:20 am, departs at 17:25 am Arrives at Abraka – 17:51 am, departs at 17:56 am Arrives at Okpara – 18:17 am, departs at 18:20 am Arrives at Ujevwu – 18:47 am. The fare costs as little as N2,200 and there is no ‘African Man Time’ at this railway line. It is best you arrive there 30 – 45 mins before the time to sort out ticket and boarding issues before departure. Within 4 hours, you can safely travel from Warri to Itakpe, then take a bus or cab to Abuja. Have you taken a ride on this train? Tell us what your experience was like.Reference
BBC Pidgin Vanguard NG Projects Today Railway Gazette Featured Image Source: Premium Times NGGot a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com
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