The South West Development Commission (SWDC) has secured a provisional rail operating and track access licence from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
This has opened the door for the commission to commence passenger and freight rail services across existing rail corridors in the South West as part of efforts to deepen regional connectivity and drive economic transformation.
Speaking with journalists in Ibadan on Thursday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SWDC, Dr Charles ‘Diji’ Akinola, said the licence authorises SWDC to operate on both narrow and standard gauge rail networks already linking communities, industrial hubs, businesses and economic centres across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states.
He described the approval as a major shift from conceptual planning to full implementation.
“This licence is not just a document. It is the green light to rebuild the South-West’s economic spine on rail.
“We are moving from plans to tracks, from talk to trains. Our partnership with the NRC will put freight on rails, people on trains, and opportunity back into the hands of businesses and communities across the South West,” he added.
Akinola clarified that the approval does not cover the construction of new rail lines but rather permits SWDC to operate passenger and freight services on already existing rail infrastructure within the region.
He explained that the licence would facilitate the rollout of the South-West Rail, Agro-Industrial and Logistics (SW-RAIL) Platform, a regional economic initiative designed to strengthen logistics competitiveness, unlock agro-industrial growth, improve mobility and accelerate economic development across the six South-West states.
According to him, the SW-RAIL Platform is being developed as a rail-driven economic corridor that will integrate freight systems, agro-logistics, industrial parks, inland logistics hubs, cold-chain infrastructure, port connectivity, passenger transportation systems and transit-oriented developments.