NRC hinges Abuja-Kaduna fare hike on operation cost

Fidet Okhiria, managing director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), has explained that the increase in fare of Abuja-Kaduna train services is to meet up with cost of the rail operations.

The initial fare of N600 is now N1,050 and the executive coach that was N900 is now N1,500, Okhiria said in Abuja, saying the initial fare was used during the test run of the rail and hence is longer sustainable in the present economic realities.

The NRC boss pointed out that it was to enable the Corporation meet its cost half way, and since the cost cannot be met halfway, for the funding, the Corporation had to do something to meet up.

“Although, the government is funding it to a limit, you know the cost of diesel has gone up,” he said, recalling that while operations started, the fare then was just an introductory. ‘’Initially, it was free and now we have started commercial operation with the new price. We have not really been able to break even,” he said.

He said the fare rise had not affected the number of passengers who travel on the service, as the present fare was not constant, saying that 10 new coaches were expected before the end of the year. He said when the coaches arrive the price of the express coach would be higher than the coaches that would be stopping everywhere.

According to him, the priority of the Corporation is to take care of the people and provide the much needed service.