The Senate has raised serious concerns over the deteriorating state of Nigeria’s rail services, declaring that trains operating on the Abuja–Kaduna route now move more slowly than bicycles.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio made the remark on Tuesday while inaugurating an ad hoc committee to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the operations of the nation’s railway system.
“If you are using a bicycle, you will get to Kaduna from Abuja faster than the train,” Akpabio said, describing the situation as unacceptable.
The committee, chaired by former Edo State Governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has six weeks to submit its report. It is mandated to examine rail operations nationwide, assess the quality of equipment in use, and evaluate management efficiency within the sector.
Other members of the panel include 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 decision to set up the committee followed an intense debate on the Senate floor over what lawmakers described as a sharp decline in operations along the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano rail corridor, once regarded as a flagship transportation project.
Moved by the revelations, Akpabio recalled that the journey from Abuja to Kaduna once took about 90 minutes but now exceeds three hours.
“At a time, the train used to take about one and a half hours from Abuja to Kaduna. Now passengers spend more than three hours. We even gathered that Keke NAPEP from Abuja will arrive in Kaduna earlier,” he said.
The issue was raised during plenary by Senator Abdul Ningi, who cited Order 42 of the Senate Standing Orders to narrate his recent experience on the route.
Ningi recalled that when the rail service commenced in 2015, it operated 10 daily trips—five in each direction—conveying about 10,000 passengers daily. According to him, those figures have dropped drastically.
“Two weeks ago, I travelled to Kaduna by train, and what I discovered was disturbing,” Ningi 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 trips had been reduced to just two: one from Abuja to Kaduna at 7am and another from Kaduna to Abuja at 1:30pm.
The senator noted that at full capacity, the rail line generated about N1.8 billion monthly, warning that the current state of affairs has significantly eroded revenue and public confidence.
Ningi further disclosed that passengers now spend more than three and a half hours on a journey that once took 90 minutes, with trains 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, adding that commuters often have no alternative means of transport.
He also alleged that some equipment installed during the execution of the rail contract was second-hand, suggesting Nigeria may have been short-changed.
The Abuja–Kaduna rail corridor has recorded two major incidents in less than three years. On March 28, 2022, a Kaduna-bound train carrying about 970 passengers was attacked by terrorists in Katari. Another incident occurred on August 26, 2025, when a train derailed following the vandalisation of tracks.
The 186.5-kilometre Abuja–Kaduna standard gauge rail line was inaugurated in 2016. Initiated under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, it was completed under former President Goodluck Jonathan and later inaugurated by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The $1.64 billion project was executed by the 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 Unveils Ambitious Expansion Plan
Even as the Senate ordered a probe into the declining rail services, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) unveiled an ambitious plan to expand the country’s rail network from about 4,000 kilometres to 10,000 kilometres within the next five years, and to 20,000 kilometres in 20 years.
Managing Director of the NRC, Kayode Opeifa, disclosed this while outlining the corporation’s roadmap for repositioning the rail sector as a key driver of national economic growth.
Opeifa described Nigeria’s current rail coverage as grossly inadequate for a country of its size and economic aspirations.
“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.
He explained that achieving the target would depend largely on private sector participation, adding that the Federal Government is open to concessioning arrangements and other partnership models.
According to him, sovereign guarantees would be provided to investors in line with global best practices.
“Government budgets alone cannot fund rail expansion at this scale, which is why we are encouraging private investment,” Opeifa said.
He added that the expansion plan is part of a broader national rail roadmap, which would soon be unveiled.
The NRC boss said efforts were ongoing to complete key rail corridors, including the Lagos–Kano, Port Harcourt–Maiduguri and Ajaokuta–Abuja routes, to enhance the seamless movement of people and goods across the country.
He disclosed that both narrow gauge and standard gauge lines are currently operational, with the corporation embarking on aggressive recovery of locomotives, wagons and other rolling stock to improve efficiency.
Despite persistent security challenges, Opeifa said rail services have continued nationwide, attributing this to the commitment of railway engineers and artisans.
He called for greater community ownership of railway assets to curb vandalism, particularly along the Warri–Itakpe corridor, where repeated attacks have forced the corporation to replace almost every section of track.
Opeifa also revealed that the NRC is collaborating with the governments of Lagos, Zamfara, Plateau, Niger and Ogun states to increase rail usage and maximise existing assets.
He added that private operators are already participating in rail operations, with about 28 logistics companies licensed to move goods from Apapa Port to destinations including Oyingbo, Papalanto, Kajola, Omi Adio, Moniya and Osogbo.
