The tenth Senate has urged the Federal Government to upgrade the Eastern Rail Line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, from narrow to standard gauge.
The call for the Eastern Rail Line to be upgraded followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Victor Umeh (APGA-Anambra) on the floor of the Senate, and 31 other senators co-sponsored the move.
Umeh while moving the motion stated that the Eastern Rail Line was the longest in the country since it passed through four zones of South-South, South-East, North-Central and North-East.
Senator Umeh further stated that a functional Eastern Rail Line would help to reduce vehicular traffic on the roads and save them from constant dilapidation.
He also mentioned that the rehabilitation and reconstruction of a narrow gauge rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri had been vandalised, abandoned and overgrown with weeds and trees.
Senator Umeh then urged the Federal Government to take immediate steps to build a standard gauge rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA-Abia), who was one of the senators who co-sponsored the move noted that the Eastern Rail Line had been ignored by previous administrations.
Senator Abaribe expressed optimism that with the administration of President Bola Tinubu would work to ensure the Eastern Rail Line is upgraded to standard gauge.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, pointed out that the motion was a patriotic one that the Federal Government should take seriously.
