NRC begins movement of Petroleum products from Lagos to Osun

NRC begins movement of Petroleum products from Lagos to Osun
Transportation
By Kazeem Akande/Augusta Uchediunor
Lagos, May 31, 2018 (NAN) The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has said it would soon begin movement of petroleum products from Lagos to Osun.
Mr Jerry Oche, Railway District Manager Lagos State, disclosed this with newsmen on Thursday.
“We are just trying to commence movement of petroleum products.
“We have been doing that before but stopped for some time.
“The one we are doing now is for ourselves, we buy the petroleum products, we take it to our various depots for sale.
“For now we are doing diesel, not PMS, the risk with PMS is higher, we have what we call the runner wagons, between the locomotives and the first tank wagon,’’ he explained.
The manager said that the runner wagons were flat wagons filled with sand or stone, to prevent the tanker from catching fire.
“It won’t cross over to the locomotive and if the locomotive catches fire, it won’t cross over to the tanker and these tanks are pressurised.
“They are not the usual type of tanks that would explode if they fall,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the NRC had said it moved over 3,360 containers from the Apapa port to Ebute Metta and Ijoko in Ogun last year.
NRC Lagos District Manager said that the freight service had helped in reducing the influx of trucks and articulated vehicles at the port.
“We have transported not less than 3,360 containers from Apapa to Ebute Metta and Ijoko in Ogun, depending on the agreement with the owner.
“The service consists of movement of containers from Apapa to various district offices where the articulated vehicles could start transporting them to their various destinations.
“The shuttle services run a number of trains into the port and bring out goods to decongest the port.
“We run about three trains a day, each carrying about 20 containers to relieve the congestion at the port,’’ the NRC official said.
The district manager noted that the major challenge confronting the rail freight service was the inability to meet up with the demand of customers.(NAN)
AKA/ANU/IFY
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Edited by Ify Omowole