By Idu Jude
PORT-HARCOURT- All is now set for the ground breaking ceremony of the Eastern railway rehabilitation project by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Eastern corridor is a narrow-gauge rail track stretching from Port-Harcourt through the South-East, North Central and North-East, terminating in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi recently disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the extension of the corridor to Abakiliki and Awka, capitals of Ebonyi and Anambra states respectively.

With a total of 61 stations and passing loops, the project has a contract timeline of 36 months.

The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC, is handling the project meanwhile, the managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Cooperation, Engineer Diet Ohiria, earlier stated that that the Port Harcourt to maiduguri rail corridor, ramsons the longest rail line to be handled Nigeria.

Ohiria, further said that the marrow gauge, has to be upgraded to the speed of 80 kilometers per hour.

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“People should not allay fear because we have to upgrade the narrow gauge. So the standard gauge is still there, it is all about upgrading. Another thing is that we have just included more states to add to the already listed ones. The line will also cut across Abakaliki in Ebonyi state and Awka in Anambra state. In the North East Adamawa state has just been added”.

According to Engineer Ohiria, the loan is still under discuss by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Chinese Government.

He further revealed that the project, which has the total sum of $ 3.2 billion had since been awarded to the Chinese civil engineering construction company CCECC.