Chinese-built Lagos-Ibadan Railway operates safely for 1,000 days

An aerial drone photo taken on March 2, 2024 shows a view of the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway in Lagos, Nigeria. (Xinhua/Han Xu) 

Built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the Lagos-Ibadan Railway connects Nigeria's economic center Lagos and the southwest industrial city Ibadan.

Officially opened to traffic in June 2021 with a main line of about 157 kilometers long and a branch line of about 7 kilometers long, it adopts modern railway standards and has a designed speed of 150 kilometers per hour.

The railway provides Africa's most populous country with an affordable and safe mode of transportation. It not only facilitates people's travel, but also helps improve the efficiency of port and inland cargo transportation.

As of March 5, 2024, the Chinese-built Lagos-Ibadan Railway has been operating safely for 1,000 days, with passenger traffic exceeding 2 million. Moreover, CCECC has provided all-round technical support for the operation of the Railway, which also trained a large number of technical and managerial talents and directly created job opportunities for the locals.

The Lagos-Ibadan Railway is continuing to inject vitality into Nigeria's socio-economic development.

An aerial drone photo taken on March 2, 2024 shows a passenger train bound for Ibadan departing from the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway in Lagos, Nigeria. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

An aerial drone photo taken on March 2, 2024 shows freight trains waiting to be unloaded at Apapa port in Lagos, Nigeria. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Passengers get off a train from Ibadan at the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

An aerial drone photo taken on March 2, 2024 shows a view of the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway in Lagos, Nigeria. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Passengers are seen in the train to Ibadan at the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Chinese driver Wei Rujun and local driver Serah Abiara are seen in the driving cab of a train before departure to Ibadan at the Mobolaji Johnson Railway Station of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

A Chinese employee of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway instructs local trainees in Lagos, Nigeria, on Feb. 27, 2024. (Photo by Zhuang Yanhui/Xinhua)

A Chinese employee of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway instructs local trainees in Lagos, Nigeria, on Feb. 27, 2024. (Photo by Zhuang Yanhui/Xinhua)