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Article

THE POTENTIALS OF RAIL-ROAD INTEGRATION FOR PORT-HINTERLAND FREIGHT TRANSPORT IN NIGERIA

1 / 2 / 89-107 Pages

Author(s)

Andrew Egba Ubogu - Ahmadu Bello University, Department of Geography, P.M.B. 1044, Samaru, Zaria, NE 234, Nigeria -


Abstract

Modern transport and freight distribution system all over the world are tending towards the adoption of best practices that are reliable, timely and cost-effective. This study evaluates the potentials of integrating rail-road system for port-hinterland freight in Nigeria. Much of the primary data was obtained through the administration of a questionnaire specifically designed to gather information on the cost involved, distanced covered, areal coverage, and time taken to deliver cargoes to consignees. The respondents that were sampled systematically for this study were truck drivers who were interviewed at the point of loading in Lagos and Port Harcourt port complexes. In all, 302 truck drivers were interviewed. Secondary data sources were from records of Nigerian Ports Plc and Nigerian Railway Corporation. The data was analyzed using frequency distribution, Student’s t-test, and Geometric Mean analysis. The findings of this paper reveal that integrating rail-road for hinterland bound goods would be timely and potentially save 44.2% and 93.7% freight costs on the western and eastern flank respectively from the seaports of Lagos and Port Harcourt. Furthermore, the paired differences of the costs and time on both flanks were statistically significant using the Student’s t-test statistics. The implications of these findings are that integrating the various modes of transport for port-hinterland freight distribution would make the nation’s transportation system to be faster and more cost-effective.


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Acknowledgements:

This research was partially funded by a grant from the University Board of Research (UBR) of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, whose support is immensely acknowledged. The contributions of numerous field assistants who helped in the administration of the questionnaire are also gratefully acknowledged.


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