The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has commenced the 50 percent fare slash in its train services to ease transportation costs for commuters during the festive period.
Kayode Opeifa, managing director of NRC, earlier on TVC News Breakfast show, announced a slash in the price of tickets for passengers during the festive period, from December 23rd, 2025 to January 4th, 2026.
The initiative Opeifa said is aimed at easing travel costs for passengers amid rising transportation fares during the festive period, promoting inclusive mobility, and encouraging the use of rail transport as a safe and reliable alternative during peak travel periods.
Nigerians often face high costs of transportation during festive periods especially during the Christmas and New Year celebrations as a lot of people travel, leading to high traffic congestion on the roads.
Current prices of flight tickets costs N450,000 to N500,000 as against N130,000 or lower, passengers paid before this season.
Roads tickets also surged to N40,000 and above for trips to the South-East, South-South and the North, more than 70 percent from an average of N35,000 previously, despite easing inflation in 2025 and lower fuel prices.
“We are slashing as directed by the federal government, and we also agree it should be that way, because we are a public corporation.
“We are slashing our fares by 50 percent. We would have loved to do it free, as we did last year, but when we did it the last two years under the current government, we noticed that there was a lot of discomfort to regular trade users,” he said.
In a statement signed by Callistus Unyimadu, chief public relations officer, NRC, the discount Yuletide train ride approved by the federal government has seen a large turnout of passengers across major railway corridors as Nigerians took advantage of the 50 percentage fare reduction to travel for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The NRC stated that at major stations along the Lagos–Ibadan, and Abuja–Kaduna, as well as key narrow gauge routes, passengers turned out in large numbers, with several train departures operating at near full capacity as early bookings reflected strong public response to the 50 percent discount initiative.
The Corporation confirmed that both standard gauge and narrow gauge services are fully operational, with enhanced security, safety, and customer service arrangements in place across stations and onboard trains to manage increased passenger traffic.
“Passengers travelling on standard gauge routes are advised to continue using NRC-approved online booking platforms, while passengers on narrow gauge services can purchase their tickets directly at designated railway stations,” NRC stated.
The Corporation reiterated its commitment to seamless festive operations and urges passengers to cooperate with railway officials and comply with all travel guidelines to ensure smooth journeys throughout the discount Yuletide train ride period.
