As part of efforts to reduce traffic congestion on roads, APM Terminals Apapa and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) have restored rail connectivity for containers to the Lagos Port Complex (LPC) in Apapa, the company said in its release.
General Manager, External Affairs of APM Terminals Apapa, Daniel Odibe, said the terminal and the NRC have developed a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which bridges the communication gap and ultimately leads to more efficient cargo evacuation by rail.
With the closure of a section of the Apapa Bridge for repair works, the resumption of rail services will help reduce a backlog of containers waiting at the port. The Port has recently seen a growth in barging operations with a growing number of containers moved daily by barges from the port.
APM Terminals constructed the Port’s rail line and connected it to the national line in 2013, to provide alternate to road transport for customers. Re-commencing the rail operation will remove trucks from the road and improve environmental standards.
Containers will be discharged at Alagomeji Terminals in Yaba and Ijoko Terminals in Ogun State. Trucks can then be deployed to both locations to collect containers and return empties, which the NRC will convey back to the port.
Re-introducing rail connectivity at the port follows on from the acquisition of two new Mobile Harbour Cranes earlier this year. These were part of an agreed investment of USD80 million (N33.6billion) for the year 2020-2021, bringing the total investment by the company in Apapa since 2006 to USD438million (about N184billion), which is the highest by any private terminal operator in Nigeria.