The Peoples Democratic Party has congratulated President Buhari and the people of Nigeria as he Commissioned the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge rail.
In a statement released by the party through its official Twitter handle (@PDPNigeria), it also used the medium to appreciate the efforts of immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan and former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
See tweets below:
1. Today, we congratulate @NGRPresident as he commissions the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge rail line & flags off commercial operations on it.
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
2. We particularly congratulate the people of Nigeria who can enjoy the benefits of this revolutionary project & service.
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
3. We must commend former President @GEJonathan for
the conceptualisation & inception of the project as a standard gauge rail line. 1/2— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
We sincerely hope the project fulfils the dreams he had of greater integration
between the cities of Abuja & Kaduna. 2/2— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
4. We also commend @NOIweala for the work put into the structure & funding of the project. It is important to note that the structure…1/2
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
… structure used ensured it didn’t suffer the fate of many projects before
it which were abandoned by successive administrations. 2/2— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
5. The 185 km Abj-Kad standard gauge rail line is one of the first standard gauge rail lines in Nigeria & was constructed by CCECC.
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
6. The project features cargo & passenger trains. 4000 people were employed during
construction & at inception, the project was…1/2— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
… projected to employ 5000 people for its operations. 2/2
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
7. Passenger trains on the line can operate for speeds of up to 200kms per hr while cargo trains can travel at speeds up to 150kms per hr.
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
8. Travel time between the two cities will be 1hr & 1hr30mins for passenger & cargo trains respectively.
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
9. The rail line has 9 stations & cost $874m. Of this figure, $500m was provided by the China Exim Bank as a concessionary loan while…1/2
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
… Jonathan administration paid the balance as counterpart funding. 2/2
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
10. The rail line included the construction of 30 railway bridges, including 5 box bridges. Construction on the rail line commenced…1/2
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
…in February 2011 & ended in December 2014. The 9 stations were in advanced
stages of completion when the Jonathan admin handed over. 2/2— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
11. This project is the first in a series of long term developmental projects conceptualized & initiated by the Jonathan admin that.. 1/2
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
…Others soon to be completed include new terminals at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Int'l Airport, Abuja & Akanu Ibiam Int'l Airport, Enugu. 2/2
— The Town Crier (@IamTheTownCrier) July 26, 2016
