NRC May Raise Train Fares On Narrow Gauge Railway Line

There are indications that the management of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) may have concluded plans to increase cost of boarding a train from Kajola/Ijoko to Iddo on the narrow gauge railway line from N460 to N700 per passenger following the increase in price of diesel.

This is coming just after the upward review of cost of boarding a train from Abuja to Kaduna and Lagos to Ibadan on the economy, business and first class in November last year for the same reason.

It was gathered that an internal memo based on the recommendation of management of NRC has been prepared and presented to the minister of transportation, Alhaji Mua’zu Sambo for approval.

According to a reliable source, the corporation would have introduced the new fare of N70 per passenger by the beginning of February this year but that the minister had to tarry a while to allow the havoc generated by the new naira swap policy to subside before granting approval.

Recall that NRC increased passenger train fares on the Standard Gauge Railway Line from Lagos to Ibadan and Abuja to Kaduna from N6,500 in the business class to N9,000.

According to an internal memo dated November 30, 2022 and made available to LEADERSHIP, fares for the 56/68-seater coaches on the Lagos-Ibadan railway corridor was increased from N5,000 to N6,500 while 88-seater coach was jerked-up to N3,600 as against N2,500.

According to the memo signed by the director, Operations, (marketing and commercial) Ebute-Metta, Ola Adeeinwo, Lagos to Abeokuta now costs N6,000 on a 24-seater coach, N4,500 for a 56/68-seater coach, N3,000 for a 88-seater coach.

Minors are expected to pay N3,000 from Lagos to Ibadan, N2,00 from Lagos to Abeokuta and N600 from Abeokuta to Ibadan.

Meanwhile, passengers have continued to lament over the sudden increase, saying, railway operation is supposed to be a social service that should be subsidised.