Date: 2017-06-19

The affected part of the rail line at the collapsed Tatabu bridge in Niger state. The recent washing off of the Mokwa-Jebba bridge linking the South to the North in Niger State has cut off train services on that axis.

Most hit is the passenger train from Lagos to Kano which has been stalled following the bridge's collapse as a result of a downpour on June 11 which eroded a portion of the railway track.

Daily Trust gathered that trains coming from the South could not move beyond Jebba in Kwara State and those coming from the North could not move beyond Mokwa in Niger State.

However, the NRC management is to fix readymade bridge in the area as a temporary measure to restore train services pending the reconstruction of the bridge.

The temporary bridge, according to the NRC Managing Director, Engr. Fidet Okhiria, was deployed from Ibadan. Materials like laterite, granite, long stones, among others were moved from Lagos, Zaria, Kafanchan, and Offa to put the temporary measure in place.

Okhiria who addressed newsmen in Lagos at the weekend shortly after the train carrying the equipment departed the railway compound, said the temporary measure would be ready in two weeks for train services to resume.

"Within the next two weeks, we are hoping that we should be able to resume train services from the north to south," he assured.

Okhiria who also spoke during an inspection of the location of the Tatabu bridge in Niger State, said the corporation would work hard to fix the problems, so that the Lagos to Kano line could begin operations again in the next two weeks.

"We are going to construct a temporary bridge that will cost us about N5 million. The trains bringing emergency materials from Lagos and Kano will arrive on Monday for proper work to commence," Okhiria said.