NRC shops for private investors to drive rail transportation

Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is shopping for investors under a Public-Private Partnership initiative to drive railway operations in the country.

Managing Director, NRC, Engr. Adeseyi Sijuade, who disclosed this in Lagos, said that the government has reached a conclusion that the corporation cannot be totally transformed without the participation of the private sector.

According to Sijuade, under the new arrangement, private individuals will be granted access to run some of the vital aspects of the railway operation while the corporation retains its regulatory power over the rail facilities and the activities of the private operators.

He said the PPP initiative include outsourcing, supply chain and concessioning.

He said the corporation is already outsourcing some services to enhance operational efficiency, such as on-board cleaning of passenger trains, cleaning of major train stations and on-board catering.