The Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria, said the increase in fare of Abuja-Kaduna rail line was to meet up with the part cost of the rail operations.
Okhiria gave the reason in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to him, the initial fare of N600 is now N1,050 and the executive coach that is N900 is now N1,500.
He said he initial fare was the introductory fare during the test run of the rail.
Okhiria said: “It is to enable the corporation to at least meet its cost half way; we cannot meet the cost half way for the funding, so we have to do something to meet up.
“Although, the government is funding it to a limit, you know the cost of diesel has gone up.
“The fare then was just an introductory fare.
“Initially it was free and now we have started commercial operation with the new price.
“We have not really been able to break even.”
Okhiria, however, said the increase in fare has not affected the number of passengers, adding that as at Monday the number of passengers went up.
The NRC boss said the present fare was not constant, saying that 10 new coaches were expected before the end of the year.
He said that 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.
He said: “When it gets to a stage that you cannot buy filter to service the coaches, then, we have to do something.”
NAN.
