We knew this was not good for our great country. We knew something had to be done to salvage our roads and save lives and properties. We knew no other means through which this could be achieved other than revamping or rail transports sub- sector and repositioning it for improved service, Bio stated.

The transport minister added that the arrival of the new locomotives marks a very significant moment in the nation's railway industry, noting that their arrival is due to government's decision to give Nigerians a new lease of life through a functional rail system that is in tandem with obtains in advanced countries.

Also speaking, Chairman, NRC, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed stated that a transportation system that is backed by an effectiove rail system would make commuting less cumbersome and would make the cost of goods affordable, adding that the devlopment of residential estates along the track corridors would receive a major boost and that small scale business would grow around the railway stations.

On the part of the Managing Director of NRC, Engineer Adeseyti Sijuwade stated that the 25 new locomotive engines of which NRC has taken delivery of five were built by General Electric (GE) Transportation, Brazil and having 7FDL12- cylinder. He noted that the weight of each of the locomotives engines is 105.9 metric tons having a bogie- to-bogie weight distribution.

On the length of the engine, Sijuwade said that the engine measuring fro the axial coupler faces is 18938mm. APM Terminals had last December replaced the former rail line at the port with anew one for N87.8million.

Federal Government Cuts Rail Contract from N1trillion to N24billion

The Kaduna -Abuja rail standardization project, the source said, would be funded partly with $500m to be provided by the Chinese government as concession loan.

The source said the scope of work for the Lagos- Ibadan segment is under review, adding that the contract will be re- presented to the Federal Executive Council for approval soon. Spokesman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation David Ndakotsu told the Nation that the rehabilitation of rail tracks has begun.

He said: The contractors are presently on site with their engineers, technicians and workmen". The railway, he said, is undergoing holistic and aggressive rehabilitation as promised by the Federal government. "The On- going rehabilitation and repositioning the rail sub- sector is done with a view to making NRC alive to its economic and social responsibilities which, as pursued by the Federal Government will soon be seen and felt".

He said government has cleared the backlog of salaries owed the workers, adding salaries are now paid regularly. In 2007, the Obasanjo administration awarded the $8.3billion to CCECC for the expansion of 1,315km rail lines from Lagos to Kano with a loop from Minna to Abuja. On assuming office in 20078, President Umaru Yar'Adua stopped the project and set up a committee headed by former Minister of Finance, Shamsudeen Usman, to review the funding options for the project.

QATAR Airways has unveiled the launch dates of tour recently announced new routes for 2010 as part of the airline' s continued aggressive expansion strategy. The launch of flights to Copenhagen, Ankara, Tokyo and Barcelona comes during busy five months for the award winning airline. The announcement comes a month for the Qatar Airways revealed its new routes for 2010 and just days after the airline confirmed it will begin daily non- step services between Doha and Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, from February 22 to mark the airline's 11th Indian destination. Beginning March 30, Qatar Airways adds Copenhagen to its European network with four flights a week,

non- stop from Doha, the airline's operational hub. After Stockholm, the Danish capital becomes the second Scandinavian destination served by Qatar Airwaysthe only Gulf carrier serving the region.

A week later, starting April 5, the Airways spreads its wings further into Turkey with the addition of four non- stop services to Istanbul. And from April 26, the Airways expand its operations in the Land of the Rising Sun with daily flights to the Japanese capital, Tokyo. The flights will be operated from Doha via Osaka, representing a significant increase in capital for the Japanese market.

Seoul, which is currently served via Osaka will be de- linked from the Japanese city to become a daily non- stop service from Doha, beginning March 28. Starting June 7, Qatar Airways' European network receives an other boost with non- stop flights between Doha and the Mediterranean port city of Barcelona- after Madrid, the airline's second Spanish destination.

Details of the air line's planned flights to Sydney, its second Australian destination, will be announced later. "The next few months will prove to be yet another exciting period of growth with such diverse business and leisure destinations being added to Qatar Airways' growing network," said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker. "It further strengthens our resolve to fly to the heart of political and business capital cities across the world, giving passengers more choice to get to their destination".