The outcome of a closed door meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the  Minister of Transportation,  Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is now public.
Speaking to newsmen at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, on Tuesday,  Amaechi said the  Federal Government may increase the transport fares of the rail services on the Abuja-Kaduna route following the inauguration of 10 new luxurious coaches.
According to him, “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 outstrips supply then you see all sorts of attempts to cheat the passengers.
“There are two things I know the president likes. I have mentioned one, the second one, is after commissioning 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 and then there will be more comfort.
“More comfort in the sense that when you have excess seats multiplied by the number of passengers that will come, then anybody that wants to racketeer will have to eat the tickets himself,’’ he added.
He stated that the new coaches, when inaugurated on Thursday, Â would bring the total number of coaches to 14 on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
Amaechi further stated that a  locomotive will be dedicated to direct trip from Kaduna to Abuja non-stop (that should be doing 1hr:15 or 1hr:20 minutes non-stop), to enable those living in Kaduna and working in Abuja to commute to work.
