The Federal Government earmarked N8.52 billion to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in this year’s budget to buy trains (locomotives, coaches and wagons), The Nation has learnt.
The allocation is in this year’s budget current before the National Assembly.
This is part of the N39.18 billion appropriated by the Federal Government to the nation’s oldest public corporation in the Bill sent to the National Assembly for approval.
A breakdown of the budget indicated that the NRC intends to spend N2.79 billion on rehabilitation/repairs of old narrow gauge railway tracks this year.
It has budgeted N2.7 billion on the rehabilitation/repair of its headquarters and other office buildings across the country in the course of the year.
According to the budget proposal, the NRC is also projected to spend N2 billion on diesel for the rail power cars and locomotives and N1 billion to buy spare parts, including lubricants for its locomotives, coaches and wagons in the year.
It will spend another N1.68 billion on the procurement and rehabilitation of locomotives and rolling stocks for its trains. The project was marked as “ongoing” in the budget proposal forwarded to the National Assembly.
The document shows the NRC will expend N1.19 billion on rehabilitation of the narrow-gauge track from Minna to Baro with a spur (extension) to the Baro River port.