Kayode Shopekan
Nigeria has begun reaping the benefits of investment as recently commissioned rail projects now generates an average of N327 million monthly.
Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) revealed that the improved revenue is as a result of the take-off of operations of some railway projects embarked on by federal government plying different routes.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelNRC’s Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, made this disclosure on Thursday, in Abuja, saying that the Abuja-Kaduna route generated an average of N265 million monthly, Lagos-Ibadan, N17 million monthly, while Warri-Itakpe generated N45 million.
Okhiria explained that with the introduction of an additional Diesel Multiple Unit, the corporation had increased the number of train trips between Abuja and Kaduna from eight to 10 per day just as the trips on that route had been increased from 4 to 6 for Wednesdays.
He expressed confidence that this would go a long way to accommodate the increasing number of passengers.
The standard gauge Lagos-Ibadan rail line, which was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari earlier on June 10. 2021, commenced full commercial train services on June 15, 2021. The rail line had earlier started partial rail services.
The $1.5 billion rail line has a length size of 157 kilometres.
Recall that the single-track project, built by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari alongside the ancillary facilities yard at the recently named Goodluck Jonathan Railway Complex in Agbor, Delta.
