Editing Transport in Nigeria (section)

== Railways ==

{{main|Rail transport in Nigeria|Nigerian Railway Corporation}}
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Improving rail links is also central to the NIIMP, with the master plan noting at the time that the network “needs to be almost completely rehabilitated or rebuilt”. The longer-term vision is to expand routes to a create multi-modal system linked with facilities such as ports and airports. The prioritisation of rail development has continued, with the 2021 budget earmarking N71.2bn ($3.2m) for the construction and N11.6bn ($31m) for the rehabilitation of railways.<ref name=":0" />

The NRC is responsible for rail services across the country – both for freight and passengers – with little participation from the private sector, as most intercity rail routes are not commercially viable. According to the latest data from the NBS, the rail system carried 2.6m passengers in 2017, 3m in 2018 and 723,995 in the first quarter of 2019. Revenue generated from passenger tickets amounted to N1.2bn ($3.2m) and N1.9bn ($5.1m) for 2017 and 2018, respectively, and N520.8m ($1.4m) for the first three months of 2019. In terms of cargo, 141,186 tonnes were moved in 2017 for a revenue of N374m ($999,000) – figures that grew by 132% and 32%, respectively, in 2018. Some 54,100 tonnes were moved by the rail system in the first quarter of 2019, generating revenue of N102.6m ($274,000).<ref name=":0" />

In August 2017 the federal government announced a $41bn programme to expand the rail network. The two headline projects unveiled at the time were a second railway connecting Lagos in the south to Kano in the north and a railway spanning the coast, from Lagos to Calabar. Work on both projects was ongoing as of early 2021. Moreover, in January of that year construction began on a new line linking Kano to Maradi, in neighbouring Niger. The 387-km line will pass through Kazaure, Daura, Katsina and Jibiya, and a 93-km branch from Kano to Dutse will facilitate traffic from Jigawa State. The second Lagos-Kano line is intended to connect with the new Kano-Maradi artery, eventually creating an uninterrupted network across Nigeria.<ref name=":0" />