What To Expect In Nigeria Train Travel
Travelling by train in Nigeria is interesting albeit uncomfortable. For some people, train travel is a daily routine while for others, it is a novelty yet, travelling by train in Nigeria is quite an experience.
For some people who like to rough things out, the adventure starts from the terminus. There is a crowd waiting to get a ticket or board the train. Some pace about to shake the boredom while others sit on the bare floor.
When it is time to board, the crowd scramble forward pressing against each other to get a good space on the train.
Save yourself this discomfort, take the first class coach because the economy coach is almost always overcrowded and stuffy, not adding the awful odour emanating from sweating bodies.
Some daredevils board the train illegally and sit on the roof. Others clutch on to the sides and the entrance until they get to their destination.
Nigerian Railway Corporation. Photo: Guardian
Don’t take the train if you have an appointment. You are in for a long ride. These trains are old and are not as fast as the trains you see in foreign films.
Be prepared. Some rail cars might detach from the train, but not to worry the engineers are always on board to couple them back together.
Kaduna scenery. Photo: Logbaby.
An upside to travelling by train is the breathtaking views. It gently moves by like flicking through the pages of a book.
