Popular photographer, Shola Animashaun documents his experience journeying on the recently launched Lagos-Ibadan rail line. His narration which is quite revealing is reproduced below
LAGOS TO IBADAN BY RAIL
Oya! Come make we go. Let’s take this trip together.
( A threaded post, photos, and mobile videos will be included as they happen)
I missed the train before, Yes! the traffic at Yaba would not just ease up and you can’t jump a bike close to the train station. So at 4. 08 PM, I heard the new train blow its horn as it was ready to leave the new Mobolaji Johnson Station, Ebute Metta, Lagos for Ibadan. I had to turn back but not before seeing the beautiful new train station. The train leaves on time “No Nigerian Time”. It has two scheduled times for departure. 8:00 AM in the morning and 4:00 PM in the evening.
Today. I’m ready. I woke up about 3.35 am and could not nap again. It’s either the excitement of taking a new train for the first time in Nigeria from Lagos to Ibadan or the fear of missing the train again and traveling by road. My cab came at 6.30 am and by the time I got to the train station my jaw dropped. There were about 50 people before me waiting in line. Why the long line? You can’t book a train ticket online yet unless you come physically to the new train station and purchase one. Won tun ti de! Won de oo!!
The station doors opened exactly 7:00 am and surprisingly people kept a single line. I was like eh! In this same Lagos? . My first question was “Why are we in a queue ?”
Apparently, you have to pay for your ticket in cash!. “What! Cash ke in these times when everyone is trying to stay safe from the new variants of covid or anything that can pass it on ?.”
Well, you can’t enter the huge doors of the new train station without wearing a mask. The coaches on the train are limited and as you can predict, the economy is the most affordable nd that is the target of most people, Na so I hear the clarion call for people buying “Business-class” or “first-class” to move to the front. Ehn! Ewo! We mooove!! When you hear announcements like that you know something is about to happen!
The coordination was surprisingly great through the huge door until… Sebi you know something will just happen abi… Oya let’s continue…
The coordination was surprisingly great through the huge door.
The waiting hall is huge and beautiful, you will quickly forget that you are in any Nigerian station honestly, but you will also notice that it’s dirty and you have to do your own cleaning before sitting. You will need wipes or a handkerchief to clean your seat. For a new train station, it should employ a lot of people to work to keep the place clean, here is where maintenance starts. If the outlook of a new place is not good, then it’s not good.
Anyway, we had to move via the business class exit to get to the train and I noticed that I was not the only one excited to see a new train and a clean environment at least at the moment.
One thing that puts your mind at rest is the presence of security on and off the train. Security men can be seen regularly doing their job and that puts your mind at rest. The business coach has sockets for each set of seats where you can plug in two phones and one for a laptop ( You might need a multi-plug if you use one with two pins ). The train cooling system is amazing, I heard people from other coaches complaining that it was too cold, so hold your pullover.
The scenery looking out of the train in Lagos is not faltering at all, I won’t say much about that but leave Lagos and the scenery that hits you is amazing, especially when railing through Ogun State to Abeokuta .
If you are looking for a fast fix to getting to Ibadan by train, you will be disappointed. The rain runs 26 Km/h and you are on the train for 2.30mins at least which is not bad if it’s a leisure ride. There is also 5 minutes stopover at Prof. Wole Soyinka Station, Laderin, Abeokuta. Travelers going to Abeokuta will alight and while those going to Ibadan/Lagos will also join the train.
The train stops at Obafemi Awolowo train station at Moniya in Ibadan, it sure looks like the outskirts of the main town, If you don’t have a car or cab waiting for you eh! You are on your own. Before Moniya emphasizes the last three letters of that word “Iya” , Plan ahead oo. Taking a cab from the train station may cost you depending on where you are heading.
In summary, the trip was lovely, you won’t be disappointed if you don’t miss the train, you should also come along with your own snacks for the length of the trip and make sure you have a cab waiting for you, else it may not be cost-effective at all. Economy Class ticket – N2,500 Business Class ticket – N5,000 First Class ticket – N6,000
Planning on going to Ibadan by train? Have a pleasant one.
