Port Hartcourt to Maiduguri Railway Line
Feasibility study of a new standard gauge rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri: Lot 1C, Nigeria
In 2014, Zutari – in partnership with CPCS Transcom Nigeria Limited – was appointed by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Transport to carry out the feasibility studies and the design of the proposed 1,522 km standard gauge single-track rail line running from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.
In line with previous studies that Zutari had completed for the ministry, the line was planned to transport passengers and freight at speeds of 120 km/h and 80 km/h, respectively. This study included proposed stations in Aba, Umuahia, Enugu, Makurdi, Lafia, Kuru, Bauchi, Gombe, and Biu.
One challenge of the project related to the sheer distance and extent of the project, which added complexity to the design process as the software didn’t have the capacity to deal with larger than usual data sets. To overcome this, the team came up with a digital plan to split the project data into distinct sub-sets, which enabled the team to work on sections of the project concurrently, thus saving time.
The project was one of the first projects to make use of Bentley’s OpenRail software. The software, together with a focussed digital plan, provided the design team with the tools to find technical solutions to problems that would otherwise have taken much longer to solve. Despite the software posing some challenges during the design process, the team was able to navigate these challenges and deliver a sound and optimised technical solution to the client.
Close communication with the client and the time saving brought about by the software enabled the team to deliver the project on time and within budget. The agility of the technical design team to respond to the client’s needs and requests also played a key role in the success of the project.
The project was one of the first projects to make use of Bentley’s OpenRail software. The software, together with a focussed digital plan, provided the design team with the tools to find technical solutions to problems that would otherwise have taken much longer to solve.
“During the engagement, Zutari provided well-rounded technical advice for the development of preliminary engineering designs, this included site reconnaissance and field investigations for the proposed route alignment.
Zutari also assisted with the design of proposed train stations, workshops and other rail infrastructure, as well as the design of signaling and telecommunication infrastructure for train operations”, says Folorunsho Ashcroft, Project Manager, CPCS.
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
