Railway authorities reduces passenger trips on Lagos-Ibadan route due to diesel price spike

Passenger train services trips frequenncy is to be reduced according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) due to the hike in the price of automotive gas oil, better known as diesel.

The move TransportWorld learnt would hamper the revenue drive of the sector, even as the rail transport sector raked in N6 billion in 2021.

NRC managing director, Fidet Okhiria, said the corporation has cut down the number of return trips on the route from six to two every day.

Checks by our reporter shows that the Lagos-Ibadan train service is running, but NRC have reduced the number of trips on that route because of the diesel problem. The number of trips was reduced because of the hike in diesel price 

“We are now doing two return trips as against six, which by now should have gone to 10. So we run just two trips now due to the diesel problem.” Fidet Okhira said”.

According to the NRC boss, it was outside the corporation’s powers to hike fares, despite the rising cost of operations. He however stated that the corporation had sent recommendations to the federal ministry of transportation for an adjustment in the train fare.

“We just can’t increase it by ourselves. The government has to do that. We have made some recommendations. But even with that, the new price of diesel has overshot our workings as contained in the recommendations.

“However, we don’t want to price ourselves out of the market too, because the price of petrol is not increasing as such, rather the increase is little when compared to diesel price. And you know we are competing with transporters on roads, ” Okhiria added.