LAGOS, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government has given the approval to commence a multi billion U.S. dollars rail line to link all the country's coastal cities by rail in six years.
The decision was announced by the Information Minister Lai Mohammed on Wednesday after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting attended by cabinet ministers in Abuja, the country's capital.
Mohammed revealed that memos regarding boosting of rail projects in Nigeria have been approved in the FEC meeting, including the construction of the Lagos-Calabar standard gauge coastal rail, which links Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, and Calabar, a major port in southeast Nigeria.
"This particular route is very important especially for our coastal economy," the minister said, adding that the project is expected to be completed in six years.
The most populous African country has been vigorously advancing its railway modernization ambitions in recent years, with two segments of its railway modernization initiative -- the Abuja-Kaduna railway and the Lagos-Ibadan railway, having been put into operation in 2016 and 2021, respectively. Enditem
