Cape gauge 80% of the current Nigerian railways were originally built by the
colonial power,
Great Britain. The railways were built to the
Cape gauge, the same track gauge used in most other British colonies in Africa. The country has two major Cape gauge rail lines: • The Western Line connects
Lagos on the
Bight of Benin to
Nguru in the northern state of Yobe, over a distance of . • The Eastern Line connects
Port Harcourt in the
Southeast to
Maiduguri in the northeastern state of Borno, near the border with Chad. There are also several branch lines: • The Linking Line connects
Kaduna on the Western Line to
Kafanchan on the Eastern Line. •
Ifaw–
Ilaro (Western Line), •
Minna–
Baro (Western Line), • Zaria–
Kaura Namoda (Western Line), . •
Kuru–
Jos (Eastern Line), •
Baro-Kano Railway Station (Northern Line), . The NRC network does not yet connect to the rail network of neighbouring states. However, in February 2021, construction began on a cape-gauge link from Kano to Maradi, the second-largest city in Niger, under the auspices of Portugal's Mota-Engil SGPS SA, with planned inauguration in 2023, which will be one of the first rail lines in Niger.
Standard gauge lines In 2006, the government contracted with the
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to build the
Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway. It was later decided to complete the project in segments due to a lack of funds. The total cost was US$870 million. The line, which begins in Idu, 20 kilometers west of central Abuja, requires two hours of travel time for trains with a maximum speed of 100 km/h. In August 2020, NRC reported that about 50% of the revenue of its entire rail network (about 4,000 km) would be generated by the standard gauge Abuja–Kaduna line. Nigerians like to take the train between the capital Abuja and the next largest city Kaduna because the
highway between the two cities is a constant target for muggers. A train journey is thus the safer alternative to a car for residents of both cities. The
Warri–Itakpe Railway was begun in 1987 as Nigeria's first standard gauge railway, but was only completed in 2020 – after the Abuja–Kaduna line had already opened. The line was conceived as an
industrial railway to supply the
Ajaokuta Steel Mill with iron ore from
Itakpe and
metallurgical coal imported through the port of
Warri. Although construction was originally planned to be completed in five years, sporadic funding stretched out the construction period over more than 30 years. In August 2017, the Minister of Transportation announced that the railway would be completed by the
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and
Julius Berger. On 29 September 2020, the Warri–Itakpe Railway was officially inaugurated by President
Muhammadu Buhari in a virtual ceremony. Passenger trains have been running on the standard gauge line since October 2020 and freight trains since April 2021. Construction is underway on an extension to Abuja, where it will connect with the Abuja–Kaduna section of the Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway. The 157 kilometre Lagos–Ibadan section began construction in March 2017 and was inaugurated on 10 June 2021. It is the first double-track standard gauge line in West Africa. A Lagos–Ibadan journey takes two and a half hours, half as long as the equivalent car journey. All compartments (standard class, business class and first class) are air-conditioned and have three overhead screens. The window seats are equipped with power outlets and USB charging stations. Criticisms include the fact that tickets are not available online and only for cash payment, and that there are only three trips a day in each direction. There is praise for the punctuality and cleanliness of the trains. The "Red Line" of Lagos'
Mass Rail Transit, which is currently under construction, will share the same corridor and
right-of-way with the Lagos–Ibadan rail line. Modern station buildings have been constructed along all new standard gauge lines. The new main station of Lagos,
Mobolaji Johnson, for example, offers air-conditioned waiting rooms, handicapped access to the tracks, airport-like display boards of departure times, clean toilets, trained personnel for medical emergencies, etc.
762mm railways The gauge
Bauchi Light Railway operated between
Zaria and Bukuru over a distance and was opened in stages between 1912 and 1914. In 1927 the section between
Jos and Bukuru was
converted to becoming part of the Kafanchan to Jos branch line. The 2 ft 6in Zaria–Jos section continued to operate until 1957 when it was abandoned. There was also the short-lived gauge Wushishi Tramway which connected Wushishi with Zungeru () in 1901 and which was extended in 1902 from Wushishi to Bari-Juko (). It closed circa 1911 with its two Hunslet built 0-6-2T locomotives being transferred to the Bauchi Light Railway. and the Lagos Sanitary Tramway (1906), both of gauge. The first phase of the project is intended to connect Lagos via Abuja to Kano and Abuja to Port Harcourt. During the second phase, two east-west lines will be constructed: one along the coast and another in the north, connecting
Kebbi State via Kano to
Borno State. The third phase will see the construction of a central east-west line from Kaduna to
Adamawa State. ==History==