Train service is not entirely new to Lagos residents with the Mass Transit Train Service operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) between Iddo in Lagos and Ijoko, Ogun State. The train service is operated on the century-old narrow gauge line with equally old, rickety coaches, which, despite the dinginess, is still very much patronised by Lagos and Ogun residents, especially those working in Apapa axis.
For many of the passengers, the service is central to their daily work routine as it enables them to beat the terrific traffic gridlock in Lagos State.
However, the commencement of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge service has come with entirely new experience for Lagos, Ogun, and by extension, Oyo residents. With the commissioning of the service penultimate week by President Muhammadu Buhari, the transportation landscape in the Lagos-Ibadan axis has been completely redefined.
Prior to the formal commissioning of the 157-kilometer standard gauge line, the first double-track gauge in Africa, it was already commissioned for operation. First, it started with a free ride in December 2019 when the contractor, the China Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC), completed the first leg of track laying, and in December 2020 when full commercial operation started from Lagos to Ibadan.
But with the commissioning by the president, the NRC has commenced full operation on the route, deploying state-of-the-art modern coaches for the comfort of the passengers.
For many residents on that axis, it is an entirely bespoke experience happening before their very eyes when they thought it was not possible. But today, the project that was started in April 2017 is now a reality. A fast moving train, absolutely different from the famously known locomotive train plying Lagos and Ogun is now a sight to behold in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo axes.
Prior to the commissioning, the NRC had taken delivery of a set of Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) and 24 coaches to be deployed for the operation.
The managing director, Fidet Okhiria, an engineer, said, “When we start fully, we would have eight trains coming down, eight trains going up on a daily basis, making 16.
“One will take off to Ibadan without stopping, one will stop at Abeokuta, and there is one that will stop at all the stations.”
But checks by Daily Trust on Sunday revealed that the NRC has only increased the train service to two, with one taking off from Lagos and Ibadan in the morning and another taking off from both stations in the evening.
Days after the commissioning, the corporation has also announced new train schedules for the week.
The updated timetable for Monday to Friday is as follows: Lagos to Ibadan: 8.00am from Mobolaji Johnson Station; Ibadan to Lagos: 8.00am from Obafemi Awolowo Station at Moniya; Lagos to Ibadan: 4.00pm from Mobolaji Johnson Station, Alagomeji; Ibadan to Lagos: 4.00pm from Obafemi Awolowo Station at Moniya.
For the Saturday schedule, Lagos to Ibadan: 8.30am from Mobolaji Johnson Station at Alagomeji; Ibadan to Lagos: 8.30am from Obafemi Awolowo Station at Moniya; Lagos to Ibadan: 6.00pm from Mobolaji Johnson Station at Alagomeji; Ibadan to Lagos: 6.00pm from Obafemi Awolowo Station at Moniya.
Also, the trains are expected to stop at Alagomeji, Agege, Kajola, Olodo, Papalanto, Abeokuta and Moniya.
At the Lagos train station on Thursday, many passengers arrived as early as 7:00am ahead of the 8:00am trip to Ibadan. They were seen purchasing tickets at one of the ticketing counters manually. And at exactly 8:00am, the train proceeded to Ibadan. Daily Trust on Sunday also learnt that the NRC plans to advertise for the e-ticketing system on the route.
There was a mild drama when one of the passengers who was said to have failed to declare his full luggage was prevented from checking in extra pieces of luggage she was carrying while she was asked to go and pay for the hitherto undeclared luggage.
Daily Trust on Sunday reports that the fare ranges from N2, 500 to N6,000, being the maximum fare for the train service.
The DMU coach has four categories, comprising 88-seater, 68-seater, 56-seater and 24-seater for the economy, premium economy, business class and first class respectively, which cost N2,500, N3,500, N5,000 and N6,000, in that order.
However, Lagos to Abeokuta costs N2,000, N3,000, N3,500 and N4,500, depending on the cabin purchased by the passenger, while Abeokuta to Ibadan costs N600, N1,000, N1,500 and N2,000 respectively.
Passengers expressed mixed reactions over the fares, saying this was why many people are yet to patronise it. But beyond that, other passengers believe it remains the best alternative to commute between Lagos and Ibadan, given the hassles of road trips.
One of the passengers, who simply identified herself as Mide, a student of the University of Ibadan but a Lagos indigene, said that in recent times, she hardly went home because of the gridlock on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
For instance, a commercial bus from Lagos to Ibadan costs between N1,000 and N1,500 while cabs go for N2,000. Daily Trust on Sunday also learnt that some Lagosians could get as low as N800 along the Berger-Mowe axis. But the challenge remains the unpredictability of the trip as any incident could shut down the ever- busy expressway anytime, any day.
But in two and half hours, passengers can arrive Ibadan on the new train service with comfort and sufficient leg room that cannot be compared to an aircraft, according to testimonies by passengers.
Professor Lai Olurode of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, who boarded the train recently said, “Riding on the train to Ibadan was for me, not only exciting, I felt proud as a Nigerian. This is because we are oftentimes cynical and display persistent skepticism in our attitudes towards the government.
“It beats my imagination that a Nigerian government faced with unprecedented security challenges could initiate a project as huge as a four-gauge rail system and complete it in its life calls for jubilation and commendation.
“As we travelled from Lagos to Ibadan, we noticed massive construction along the way as we observed nature in its best form, free of charge. It was a wonderful sight-seeing. As Nigerians, let’s believe in our own goodness.”
In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, residents also have great words of commendation for the federal government for the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge.
With the completion of the railway, they can get to Lagos in record time, they said, adding that the train service has helped to stem the fear of insecurity on the road from Lagos to Ibadan. Another reason they mentioed was gridlock along the road, which cannot affect train transportation.
Speaking with Daily Trust on Sunday, Olubukola Oduwoye, 89, said her experience on the train was fantastic. She said she was very impressed with the train. “I should be able to tell you that we were received by the crew very well. My experience was fantastic.
“We want to encourage the government to do more developmental projects, particularly infrastructure for the benefit of the masses. I am impressed,” she said.
Also speaking, Dr Dotun Kolajo said he had a smooth ride from Lagos to Ibadan with affordable fare. He, however, asked the government to reconstruct all the access roads to the train stations.
He said, “This place is far from the city centre. Dugbe station is also far from here. Yes, we need to open up other areas too. The access roads are not good enough. I want to call on the state and local government to support the federal government in constructing access roads. The whole thing cannot be left in the hands of the federal government.”
Another passenger, Arinola Ayeni said, “It is very awesome and nice. I like it. I have travelled out of the country and I can tell you that there is not much difference between their train transportation and this one. I hope they would keep it up.”
George Olubadan added, “The experience is great, luxurious and very comfortable. I believe it is the right thing the federal government and their partners have done for the masses.”
A seven-year-old boy, Abdul-Basit Jimoh said, “It was so cool inside the train. When you are inside the train, it appears as if it was not moving, but when you look outside, you will know that it is moving.”
The vice chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe and his team, who were travelling from Lagos to Abeokuta for a retreat, also recently experienced the train.
“This is interesting and a unique experience. It has been a long time I travelled by train, but this is great. It also helps to decongest the busiest South-West road,” he said.
In Abeokuta, Ogun State, passengers are demanding a downward review of the transport fare to accommodate “ordinary Nigerians.”
Those who spoke with our correspondent argued that the fares were still higher than road transportation, making people reluctant to patronise the train.
It was, however, gathered that there has been appreciable patronage following the official commissioning of the rail station.
In the past, there was little patronage as less than 10 people were transported from Abeokuta to Lagos in some cases.
A passenger, Mrs Sade Abdulsalam, told our correspondent that an 88- seater standard class train conveyed 30 passengers last week when she travelled to Lagos from Abeokuta.
Mrs Abdulsalam, who noted that the level of patronage had improved, however, expressed worry over the fares. “The lowest fare for Abeokuta to Lagos is N2,000 for standard class (88 seaters), but in the same category is N600 from Abeokuta to Ibadan. Are they saying Abeokuta to Lagos is a longer distance compared to Abeokuta-Ibadan?” She asked. She a demanded downward review of the transport fares to attract more patronage.
“From Abeokuta to Lagos is N2,000, but if you travel by road, a bus costs N1,000 to Lagos, while a car goes for N1,500. You can see the difference. I think the government can assist us by reducing the fares,” the passenger said.
She, however, applauded the federal government for a job well done, saying, “it is awesome, comfortable, relaxing and safe.”
Another passenger, Adegbenro Hakeem said, “It is costly. The government can make it affordable for the people if the intention is to lessen the burden of the masses on road transportation.”
A resident of Laderin area, where the rail station is sited, Abiodun Mubashiru, expressed optimism that the project would enhance social and economic activities of the area and the state in general.
The managing director of the NRC, in a chat with our correspondent, said that in the next few weeks, the corporation would increase the daily trips to 16 as planned.
Asked about the complaints over the high fares, he said, “If we need to operate, we don’t need to lower it too much. Do you know the cost of diesel? Though the government still funds us, we have to make meaningful contributions to the funding.”
On maintenance he said, “We have gathered experiences on the narrow gauge, Abuja-Kaduna service, Itakpe-Owerri; we will build on those experiences. We hope that people living here would cooperate with us as they cooperated during the construction work.”
From Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos, Jeremiah Oke, Ibadan & Peter Moses, Abeokuta
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