ABUJA TO KADUNA BY TRAIN. I decided to try the Abuja to Kaduna train. It’s been operational for quite a while now but I had never been on it. It has also been politicised with arguments about who started it and who completed it. However, everyone agrees it’s a good thing. Thread
First, some confessions:
1. I had my office assistant go ahead of me to obtain a ticket before I arrived, so I don’t know how it was done.
2. I travelled First Class. I am unapologetically elitist about my comfort, so I happily paid N2,500. I thought it was quite cheap actually.
1. I had my office assistant go ahead of me to obtain a ticket before I arrived, so I don’t know how it was done.
2. I travelled First Class. I am unapologetically elitist about my comfort, so I happily paid N2,500. I thought it was quite cheap actually.
The first surprise was how far inside Idu the station was. From the turning off Airport Road, it took about 20 minutes to get there. However, I could see that the sort of space it requires may be difficult to find closer to the road. I understand it’s not too far from the airport 
As I approached Departure, I was very pleased to see staff of the Nigeria Railway Corporation VERY polite and friendly. They scanned my luggage and that was it. I didn’t have to weigh anything. No taking off of shoes and belts and all the hassles of travelling by air. Joy!
The waiting areas was fine. Functional and clean. I decided to go and check out the toilets. Cleaners were not hanging around inside the toilets greeting you excessively and waiting to “help.” The place was clean. Even the sinks had washing up liquid. And then it happened...
😳😳😳😳😳😳🙈🙈🙈Who did this nau? Ooooohhhh! What is this? Is this not a pit latrine with a sanitary pan? Of course there was no tissue. Am I supposed to squat? Other countries are making it illegal and we are putting it into new infrastructure? Chai! This is bad. Chai!!
Thankfully, I didn’t need to use the loo. I had just gone to check it out. As soon as I came out, they announced that we were boarding. The lifts to take people to the platforms work and were quite clean. Happily, there was no jostling. Everyone patiently waited their turn.
Wetin be this again nau? Why are the display signs in Chinese? Surely, someone can just reprogramme it into English na. Why hasn’t it been done? I know the Chinese built it but that’s like exporting pepper soup powder to China with the instructions in Igbo. Sigh!
A polite, friendly member of staff checked my ticket and directed me to the right carriage. Everywhere was clean. There was even a socket for charging phones and laptops. Great. I settled in to work on my presentation for the @KDSG_KIF. Then someone told me I was in their seat.
I didn’t realise my ticket had a seat number. I went to my proper seat. The clock inside the train was 10 minutes slower than the clock on the platform. These little things annoy me. Can’t someone just correct it. Thankfully, we pulled off right on time. Driver had a watch.
Behind me was a cafeteria of some sort. I could smell moi moi. Someone came to ask for moi moi but they told her it had finished. The carriage itself was quite clean. A supervisor was telling a cleaner off because there was a piece of litter under a seat that was there earlier.
As we progressed, the train seemed painfully slow. Having been on high-speed trains abroad, this one was practically crawling. I felt sure I could run alongside it. Then I decided to be scientific and check the speed. About 90km/hr or 56 miles per hour. Not as slow as it seems o.
Disappointingly, there were no announcements when we got to stations and nothing on the display except to say we will spend 5 minutes at each station. The station signs were inadequate. If you don’t know where you are going and are not in a window seat, it can be a bit confusing.
Exactly 2 and half hours later, we were in Rigasa, Kaduna. I had noticed two armed Mobile Policemen in the next carriage. As we alighted, I went to ask them if there were escorts for the train or just passengers. They confirmed that they escorted the train. I thanked them.
Rigasa was very different from Idu. The terminal was really basic. Outside was bedlam. Keke Napep, various people that were there for no discernible purpose. It actually felt a bit unsafe. I asked the driver that picked me up why the station wasn’t in Kaduna town. He cited space.
All in all, it was a smooth, uneventful train journey. A number of things were good but there were a few avoidable niggles. The air conditioning worked but the seats were rather uncomfortable. The toilet on the train was better than the one at station. I saw tissue and hand wash.
Being able to travel by rail in Nigeria is a ray of hope. To develop as a country, we need to be able to move our people and our goods en mass. Trains will give us true mass transit, not the transit for the masses that we have with buses. I came back from Kaduna by road, not rail
They had changed the Kaduna to Abuja schedule for Wednesday to only 6am and 6pm. Well done to the govt that started it and to the govt that completed it. We’ve made some progress but there is still a lot to be done. Sort out the little careless niggles. It’s possible. End. ✌🏽
