APM Terminals constructed new rail line

APM Terminals Limited, the operator of Container Terminal at the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, has constructed new rail line at the cost of N87.8 million to replace the existing one. The new rail line, which was designed by Scott Wilson – one of the biggest and leading engineering consulting firms in the world and was constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), is meant to enhance efficient cargo operation at the port, according to Business Day.

The construction was supervised by representatives of the Nigerian Railway Corporation to ensure that it was in line with the country’s new standard gauge design.

Speaking in Lagos during the week, Bjarke Andersen, senior general manager, project implementation of APM Terminals, Apapa, said the organisation was under obligation to relocate the rail line that ran right through the concession area, stressing that they had fulfilled their promise.

“It is important to have rail network links into the port so that you can transfer cargo from the port into the country. It is also our hope at APMT that our investment in the rail line will be justified. We hope to see lots of trains bringing cargo in and out of the port,” Andersen stated.

The senior general manager explained that the new rail line, which is 880 metres long, is located at the boundary of the concession area so as not to hamper operations, saying the old rail track would be dismantled in the next few days.
According to the APMT him, the project is in line with APM Terminals’ selfless service to the Nigerian port community, as the new rail line does not run through APM Terminals only but also through Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL) Terminal, which is within the port complex.

“We may build an additional rail line in the future to take containers in and out of our terminal but we need to know where it leads to. It is important that further investments in rails will give us access to rail network leading up country to places like Kano, Abuja and so on,” he disclosed.

The rail track, which has since been completed, was certified by a team of technical staff drawn from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), on December 22, 2009.

The managing director of NRC, Adeseyi Sijuade and the executive director, engineering and technical Service of NPA, Yusuf Haruna, who led top management staff of both organisations to inspect the new rail line on December 28, 2009, commended the Terminals management for the quality of job done and for the company’s unflinching commitment to the development of Nigerian ports.

“We have spent so much money and we worked so hard to make this happen. We hope that the rail line will be utilised for the benefit of port users. Utilisation of the rail line will relieve the roads of undue pressure and it will be cost effective for the consignee to move goods through the rails,” noted Martin Dirks, managing director of APM Terminals Apapa.

Source: Transport Weekly