Abuja-Kaduna rail alone makes ₦300m monthly – Amaechi

Rotimi Amaechi, Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, has said the Abuja-Kaduna train service generates at least N300 million every month, Top Naija reports.

Amaechi revealed this during an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Hard Copy’. Revealing that the ministry is now generating revenue for the country’s growth, the Minister added that the federal government is also making plans to add 16 more trains to the Lagos-Ibadan rail line to increase revenue from the axis.

In his word; “We make N300 million per month from the Abuja-Kaduna train.

“Currently, we are running Lagos-Ibadan from the money we are making from Abuja-Kaduna rail service.”

Expressing confidence in the country’s ability to repay loans used to fund rail transportation, Amaechi revealed that more developments are coming to the rail sector which will further boost the revenue generated by the ministry, and support the federal government in settling its debts.

According to him;

“Nigeria has the capacity to pay its loan. Out of $500 million President Goodluck Jonathan borrowed for Abuja-Kaduna rail project, at the end of the day, we have paid back over N100 million to the federal government.”

With the Abuja-Kaduna rail, the time required for a train journey from Abuja to Kaduna is between 2 hours 30 minutes and 2 hours 45 minutes.

Amaechi previously served in oil-rich Rivers State as Governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015 and Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007.