The Federal Government is considering an increase in ticket fare for train plying Abuja-Kaduna route. The increase may take effect after President Muhammadu Buhari would have inaugurated 10 new coaches and two locomotives for the Kaduna Abuja train service on Thursday.
The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, dropped the hint in an interview with State House correspondents shortly after meeting Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday. Amaechi claimed that even the train passengers agree that the cost of transportation to Kaduna via the railway is a bit too cheap. He said once the fare was increased, there would also be more comfort for passengers.
He however did not disclose the percentage of the increase expected. The minister expressed the conviction that the increase of locomotives to 14 will stop racketeering that led to the sack of the station managers, porters, and ticket officials at Idu and Rigasa rail stations last year August. Amaechi said, We discussed the inauguration of 10 new coaches and two locomotives which will bring the total number of coaches to 14 on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
The President is pleased with the arrangement because basically we will then be able to discharge the passengers pressure that we have had, that is why you have ticket racketeering. When demand is more than supply, then you see all sorts of attempts to cheats the passengers.
There are two things I know the President likes. I have mentioned one, the second one, is after inauguration even the passengers agree that the cost of transportation to Kaduna via the railway is a bit too cheap. So, there will be a need to increase the price of the ticket and then there will be more comfort. More comfort in the sense that when you have excess seats multiply by the number of passengers that will come, then anybody that wants to racketeer will have to eat the tickets himself.
(Punch)
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