The Nigerian Railway Corporation has said that the high cost of energy required to run the trains, particularly those for diesel, is the driving force behind its decision to raise train fares.
The NRC, Fidet Okhiria, revealed this during an interview on Saturday.
The NRC executive added that while the service cannot be suspended due to high diesel costs, the price rise would be undertaken with the interests of Nigerians and other passengers at heart.
“It is better to have it operating than not operating. It is the service we are providing but in order to provide it, everybody has to make some sacrifices.
“The major cost should be the cost of diesel. Because we require diesel to operate the trains. The cost of diesel has gone up by more than three times and it is costing us to mount human and material security that it requires to keep the trains operating.
“We need to service the infrastructure we put in place for the additional security we secured and the additional personnel that will be going up and down to assist; they need some incentives. So I think that Nigerians should bear with us. We are still working on the best way out.”
