Fidet Okhiria, Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, said in Abuja on Thursday that the rail sector of the transportation industry generates an average of N327 million monthly.
Mr. Okhiria revealed that the Abuja-Kaduna route generated N265 million on average, N17 million in Lagos-Ibadan, and N45 million in Warri-Itakpe.
On June 21, 2020, the standard gauge Lagos-Ibadan route was opened to commercial traffic.
It stretches for 157 kilometers.
The 326km Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri began operations on Oct. 9, 2020.
It 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.
Mr 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.
He added that for Wednesdays, trips on that route had been increased from four to six.
He expressed confidence that this would go a long way to accommodate the increasing number of passengers.
