A Firsthand Experience on Nigerian Train

The train service from Lagos to Kano has improved both in terms of equipment and customer service, according to Sunday Okobi, Ugo Aligo and Adedayo Adejobi, who recently embarked on the 22-hour journey. However there is still a long way to go in satisfying the burgeoning demand for this relatively affordable form of mass transit…

A party of three journalists from THISDAY embarked on a journey to Kano from Lagos to ascertain how effective the train service works, and how well the Nigerian Railway Corporation had used the funds set aside by the Federal Government to improve the sector and lives of Nigerians through its operations.
With about five million passengers travelling by rail in 2013 and an 80 per cent increase from 2009 in the operation of the weekly passenger train from Lagos to Kano and Offa to Kano as well as the 16 daily mass transit train trips within Lagos metropolis, the burden on the roads in the areas connected by the western rail line has reduced, even though there is still a long way to go in make the railway a viable alternative to the congested roads.

The train fare is relatively cheap. For instance, a passenger travelling from Ilorin to Kano would be charged N1, 250 unlike a car or bus that would charge N4,000 or N5,000.

In what could be described as a baby step in the right direction, the NRC recently took delivery of the first set of modern coaches comprising of six coaches for long distances and six air-conditioned mass transit trains for short distances; this is in a bid to phase out old coaches and give Nigerians a modern train service obtainable in foreign countries.

Improved Customer Service
The effort to make the rail transport service the choice means of transport by the federal government was noticed right from the boarding point at the Lagos terminus in Iddo, as the railway workers made sure life was easy for boarding and arriving passengers.

At the departure lounge divided into three small rooms, with each having male and female attendants dressed in green shirts and a pair of trousers selling tickets to the passengers in the long queue, orderliness, speed and good sense of customer service were evident.

Unlike most public booking centres where passengers are usually cramped together jostling for space in a stuffy atmosphere, or the old railway system where touts hijack the sales of tickets, the Iddo terminus was relatively organised.

In the departure hall, goods/luggage handlers meticulously conveyed passenger’s luggage to the railway yard, eventually into the goods and passenger coaches. In the hall, there was a team of security agents, strategically positioned to ensure security and safety of the passengers and their goods/luggage. All this appeared too real to be in Nigeria.

Better Commuter Experience
For Nigerians who are tired of long lines at the airport, outrageous petrol prices and sky-high fares, doing something different along the lines of a train ride for the next family vacation might not be a bad idea to treat one’s family to a one-of –a kind experience.
During the rail journey, we witnessed an ever changing panorama unfolding outside the window, the pleasures of VIP dinning, and for a special treat, reserved sleeping accommodations on board. Sharing the natural wonders and cultural delights of Nigeria leaves the passenger to make memories of the experience.

Unlike narrow airline seats, things are different on this train, as relaxing in roomy seats, socializing with friends or new acquaintances can be refreshing.
THISDAY gathered from passengers that the efforts of the NRC to give Nigerians a perfect railway transport system was laudable as some travellers who were on their way to different destinations along the Lagos-Kano rail corridor freely expressed themselves about the service rendered by the corporation.

Pleasantly surprised Travellers
While on the first class coach, Muyideen Ganiyu, a 30-year-old businessman, who boarded the train from Lagos to Ilorin at the Iddo railway terminus for the first time, said for many years he had been travelling by road because he never thought the train service existed in Nigeria.

But today (the first time he travelled by rail transport) he said, “I have every reason to be happy for my country, for the achievement we have recorded in this sector, and I have decided never to stop travelling by train.”

When asked why he preferred the rail as an alternative means of transportation, he highlighted numerous reasons such as improvement in the coaches, low transportation cost and safety of lives and luggage among others, saying “I used to hear that the coaches are like bin cans but there has been a remarkable improvement. I’m satisfied with the ride. It is less expensive and safer than road transport, though safety is of the Lord.”

Ganiyu and his wife who sat comfortably on seat numbers 9 and 10 in the first class coach as the train steadily railed on, shared a report in a National daily that Ilorin to Kano takes 55 hours. “When I heard this, I was startled because I felt we were going to spend two days and seven hours onboard, and then a train attendant allayed my fears and told me the travelling duration was nine hours.”

At 11:59pm., the train arrived at Abeokuta station where passengers travelling to the city alighted, then at 12:06pm., the train departed. When the train arrived at Ibadan station, Oyo State, at 2 p.m, the Western District Public Relations Officer, Mr. Callistus Onyemadu, told THISDAY that the patronage in the district and other stations connecting the Western districts, was huge.

In the words of Onyemadu, ‘‘the train operation has been successful, and from all indications, the passengers are satisfied with the services. I want Nigerians to know that the train services are now working and we move on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.”

Security Prioritised
In Nigeria, security is a concern. The railway corporation is not exempted as security personnel flood the coaches making sure the passengers and their luggage are safe and secure. The train ride to Kano was an opportunity to confirm if actually there was evidence of high sense of security for passengers and goods onboard the train, despite the large number of passengers onboard.

On the arrival of the train at Offa, Kwara State at 6:27 pm., the head of the security onboard, Mr. Victor Ezeko, explained that railway police command was always in charge with the duty of protecting lives and property of people onboard.
In his exact words, “I want to assure Nigerians that the railway is very safe and your safety onboard is assured. We intend to keep this up and continue to improve on it. We have armed policemen, the personnel of the Man O War, officers of the Nigerian Railway Police Command. They are to monitor passengers’ behaviour from the originating point in Lagos throughout the journey. We are taking the issue of security seriously and will ensure the measures we have devised are sustained.”
A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member returning to his base, Mr. Damilola Sunday, was eager to pass a comment to the government through the media. He expressed delight that an affordable means of transportation has been made available for people like him who receive little allowance monthly. He lauded the corporation and the federal government, and urged them not to relent in their efforts to achieve a perfect railway system.

Sunday applauded the high sense of security in each of the coaches saying ‘‘though the train is not as fast air transport, it is safe and quite affordable, and as a youth corps member with meagre financial budget, I would want this to continue. I use to be afraid travelling in my NYSC attire on the road, but on the train, I feel very safe. I am satisfied because it has helped save money.
“I would like to suggest to the management of NRC to embark on complete refurbishing of the coaches and provide more cabins to augment the high number of people who want the train as their only means of transportation as well as make it customer-friendly and conducive for people to use.”

Room for Improvement
Mrs. Mabel Campbell, a businesswoman from Ibadan, wasn’t really happy with the situation in the train as she said with the high patronage which she observed for the train service, it is demeaning to provide a few hundred coaches for 160 million Nigerians. She requested that the NRC should provide one million coaches as Nigerians have already abandoned other forms of transport for the railway transport.

She didn’t seem to have it so good and complained; “My experience in the train from Lagos is not fantastic because I stood from Ibadan to Ede before sitting. I have a seven year-old boy and the ticketing officers said I had to pay half ticket price which I did and if there was no way to carry him, he would have stood as well.
“I stood not because I wanted to stand, but because the rush for the train is so high that even a million coaches won’t be enough for the number of willing passengers per day so they should improve in terms of providing more coaches. Let me quickly point out here that if they observe that all the seats have been sold, they should not sell more tickets, and instead, more coaches should be bought.’’

On the way to Kano which took 10 hours from Ilorin, Victoria Akindele, a business woman with her siblings on the train, said: “Actually this is my first time of taking a train ride. I entered the train from Abeokuta to stop at Minna.

It has been a wonderful experience because I did not really believe there were moving trains let alone having a safe trip to my destination. It’s still unbelievable.
“But the corporation needs to be consistent, and always improve on areas that would give the passengers comfort.

They should provide more cabins because from what I see, the patronage is incredibly high. They should work hard to bring acceptability to Nigerians so that there would be good reason to travel by train rather that other means of transport.”

Doctors on Board
There were also health officers on the train to make sure that those who needed medical assistance got same immediately.

Abosede Odunlami from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Nigeria Railway Corporation Lagos said, “our duty is to give first aid to injured passengers, administer drugs and take care of those who complain of one form of illness or the other.

“We also advise them to see a doctor for proper medical attention if the symptoms persist.

On cases of injuries, we apply first aid treatment, and in the case of pregnant woman in labour, we help deliver the baby successfully and if it’s beyond our capacity we take the person to nearest medical centre in any of the stations.”

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/a-firsthand-experience-on-nigerian-train/176046/