The Nigerian Railway Corporation is moving to revive two dormant rail corridors in the southwest, working with the Southwest Development Commission to bring the Osogbo–Dagbolu–Erunmu and Idogo lines back into service. The project is geared toward boosting freight movement across the region, with the routes expected to carry farm produce into Lagos and return consumer goods to inland communities.
The regional commission is prioritising the reopening of these corridors as part of a broader push to strengthen trade and food distribution. In the early phase, it aims to run some of the long-neglected routes on a profit-sharing arrangement, supported by limited subsidies to help farmers and stimulate production. The plans build on earlier groundwork laid by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, which developed a master plan for rail expansion across the six southwest states.
Medium-term goals include securing the licences needed to operate new routes, drawing in private investors, and building logistics infrastructure such as warehouses and spur lines to link all southwest states with the national rail network. The commission sees expanded rail connectivity as central to the region’s economic renewal and long-term food security.
The Railway Corporation says it is committed to the partnership and is aligning its programmes to accommodate regional participation in national corridors. Its leadership has directed senior staff to collaborate with the commission’s technical team on a formal agreement that would clear the way for the reactivation of the two lines.
