Said Alkali, minister of transportation, said that the federal government has begun the conversion of railway locomotive engines from diesel to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

The minister who disclosed this on Monday at Idu National Railway Station in Abuja, said that the government intends to drastically reduce the cost of maintenance as well as maintain a clean environment against carbon emissions.

“We have come to assess what we have been putting up for the last month and to interface with the engineers to further analyze the possibility of converting our locomotives from diesel to gas.
“So far, we have interacted with the engineers, and the process has reached the advanced stage; the engine is to be test-run, and I can tell you that this is the first of its kind in the whole of the African continent.”

In a statement signed by Muhammad Tahir Zakari for the director, press & public relations, Alkali also said that the engine is going to work on 30 percent of diesel and 70 percent on gas.

This, he said, indicates that at the time the driver starts the engine, it uses diesel, but when it is fully engaged, it then automatically switches over to gas for the rest of the journey.
“At the time you want to start the locomotive, you use diesel. But when you have done the starting, it will switch over to gas and keep moving.