The Nigerian Railway Company (NRC) generated ₦1.95 billion in passenger income within the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, representing a 37.36 % improve from the ₦1.42 billion recorded in the identical interval of 2024, in keeping with the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS Rail Transportation Report indicated regular progress in rail patronage nationwide. Between January and March 2025, a complete of 929,553 passengers travelled by prepare, marking a 37.65 % rise in comparison with 675,293 passengers in Q1 2024.
The report additionally confirmed that the quantity of products and cargo transported by rail elevated to 181,520 tons in Q1 2025, up from 160,650 tons recorded within the corresponding interval of 2024. Income from freight operations rose by 8.19 % to ₦657.03 million, in comparison with ₦607.32 million in the identical quarter of the earlier yr.
Moreover, different receipts, which embrace revenue from leasing, station charges, and varied providers, amounted to ₦115.68 million, representing a 355.39 % surge from ₦25.40 million in Q1 2024.
For context, the NBS famous that in This fall 2024, the rail system transported 1,037,113 passengers, reflecting a 54.29 % improve from 672,198 passengers in This fall 2023. Passenger income throughout that interval stood at ₦1.92 billion, up from ₦1.07 billion in This fall 2023.
Nonetheless, freight income in This fall 2024 dropped barely by 7.46 %, from ₦423.22 million in This fall 2023 to ₦391.64 million, whereas ₦8.93 million was generated from transporting 1,260 tons of products by means of pipelines in the identical interval.
In the meantime, different receipts for This fall 2024 rose to ₦434.44 million, representing a ten.34 % improve from ₦393.72 million recorded in This fall 2023.
In keeping with the NBS, the constant rise in passenger visitors and income underscores rising public confidence in Nigeria’s rail transport system, attributed to continued investments in rail infrastructure and repair growth by the NRC.
