Standard gauge rail projects generate N327m monthly-NRC

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has revealed that the corporation generates an average of N327 million every month from its different routes.

The improved revenue is a result of the take-off of operations of some railway projects embarked upon by the federal government.

This disclosure was made by NRC’s Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, on Thursday, July 28, 2021, in Abuja.

Okhiria said 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.

The 326km Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri rail line which began operations on October 9, 2020, runs from the southern oil hub of Warri near the Atlantic coast northwards into the major iron ore producing region in Kogi.

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.

The Lagos-Ibadan train service conveys passengers, while the Warri-Itakpe route is for freight haulage.