On December 3, China Daily published a report on railway construction in Nigeria stating that, on December 1, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) completed the first phase of a modern railroad project in Nigeria.
According to the report, the whole project will involve building a railroad that will span 1,315 km (821 miles) in Nigeria, from Lagos to Kano. The first phase is 186.5 km long with nine stations and a design speed of 150 km per hour. The total cost was US$850 million.
"The railroad design completely adopted China’s railroad standards. This is the first modern railroad in Africa that is based on China’s standards."
"Officials from the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria stated that, in May, when Premier Li Keqiang was attending the Summit of the World Economic Forum at Africa, he indicated that China will be willing to work with African countries to build a high-speed railroad network, a highway network, and a regional aviation network."
On November 19, CRCC signed another deal in the amount of US$12 billion with Nigeria to build a 1,402 km railway along Nigeria’s coast, linking Lagos and Calabar.
Sources:
[1] China Daily Online, December 3, 2014
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hqcj/zxqxb/2014-12-03/content_12825693.html
[2] Business Insider, November 20, 2014
http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-china-firm-signs-12-bn-deal-to-build-nigerian-railway-2014-11