Okechukwu Nnodim, AbujaThe Federal Government on Sunday explained why it was constructing a narrow gauge railway on the Eastern rail line as opposed to the clamour for a standard gauge line. READ ALSO: Petrol subsidy to gulp N102.96bn in MarchThe minister was quoted as saying, “The standard gauge line is between $11bn to $14bn to construct on the Eastern flag. The standard gauge as designed in Nigeria is 150km in terms of speed, operational speed is 120km. The narrow gauge is about $3.2bn dollars at 100km per hour.”He added, “The narrow gauge is cheaper at $3bn against the $11bn to $14bn standard gauge. And why we did not get the approval for the narrow gauge on time was because the President insisted on the standard gauge from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.

Source: Punch March 15, 2021 07:07 UTC