The Lagos-Ibadan Train Transit - An Experience
At the Ibadan Train Station
With the recent upsurges in security instabilities in Nigeria, taking road trips is gradually becoming a thing of reconsideration.
Initially, these security issues used to be more rampant in the North and North-eastern part of the country.
But now, the Southwestern part of the country is also affected.
Lagos and Ibadan are 2 prominent cities in the Southwestern part of Nigeria that are more like sister states despite being quite different in the way they work.
Lagos is the industrial hub of Nigeria. It's where all the hustle and bustle happens. It's like "the New York City of Nigeria."
On the flipside, Ibadan is all quiescent and easy-going.
So one could say, Lagos is where the money and the craze that follows it is, while Ibadan is where the serenity is.
The number of people that move between these 2 states alone each day is quite significant. It is not an uncommon thing to see people moving to Lagos to work and then keeping family in Ibadan.
And surely, this accounts for a LOT OF TRAFFIC!
Asides the ever-present traffic jam on the Ojodu-Berger Road and Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressroad and other parts of Lagos state, the stress of the road journey can be exhausting.
The sheer number of people that take this road is consistently high.
Since the advent of the train transit option to and fro Ibadan and Lagos, the story has changed significantly.
With a capacity of up to over 500 people per trip, and the predictability of departure and arrival times, making use of the train has become a desired thing for the majority!
Also the trip is super comfortable. The seats are well constructed and the coaches are air conditioned with good convenience features, including toilets.
Red - Large spaces to keep personal effects
Blue - Entertainment screens to watch movies
Yellow - Surveillance cameras
On the average a trip takes about 2.5 to 3 hours depending on the number of stops and time taken during stops.
My recent trip from Lagos to Ibadan via the train was bliss all through.
The train stations (both in Lagos and Ibadan) are well organized and easy to navigate.
Arrival and Departure times are also strictly adhered to.
The Ibadan Moniya Train Station
The terminal station at Lagos is located at Alagomeji while the terminal station in Ibadan is located at Moniya.
People waiting as the train arrived the Agege Station
The major stops are at Agege in Lagos, Abeokuta in Ogun State and Omi Adio in Ibadan.
Visible settlements seen through the window as we close in on the Omi-Adio stop
Lush green vegetation as the train moved into hinterland between Lagos and Ibadan
Pricing:
- 24-Seater Coaches 6,000 Naira (First-Class)
- 56/68-Seater Coaches 5,000 Naira (Business-class)
- 88-Seater Coaches 2,600 Naira (Standard class)
Departure times for Lagos-Ibadan transits are 8am and 4pm each day. THIS INCLUDES WEEKENDS.
The journey was a great one for me cos I'd never had a Lagos-Ibadan journey as stressless as this ever.
I also made a new friend!! Her name is Favour. Her saxophone bag drew me to her. I play the saxophone so it was easy for me to connect! We talked about quite a number of things and connected easily.
She was a pleasant person. And she gave me a free ride into town from the train station. A friend I hope to keep!
Even though train are not a new invention, in a struggling country like Nigeria, it brings a lot of ease to the people and solves transportation problems to an appreciable level.
PICTURE SPEAKS
The hustle and bustle of people in a usually noisy market in contrast to the peace and tranquillity in the train, as the train passed through it.
Felt surreal to know they were just some feet away.
| Camera | Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus |
|---|---|
| Inbuilt Lenses | 12mp dual aperture(f/1.5 f/2.4), 12mp telephoto (f/2.1), 16mp ultrawide (f/2.2) |
| Editing | Samsung Mobile Editor |
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Hello there! ☺️
These are some really nice photos 👌. It almost feels like I've been there. Although I've never been to a train station but I've heard of this one. It's quite famous and I hope I get to board it someday.
From your description, it's seems pretty decent and fast. I'm glad to hear you had a blissful ride and even got to make a like-minded friend.
And wow, I didn't know train transportation was less costly than the regular vehicles. I guess I've just learned something new today.
Thank you so much.
You should experience it. You'll love it. I don't think I ever want to move between Lagos and Ibadan by road anymore😅. The train is too smooth a ride.
A great experience indeed. Good for you and Nigeria.
Thank you so much
Oh wow, such a nice experience. I didn’t know there was a train station in Lagos. Thanks for sharing dear. Plus the pictures are really great
Yes... there are train train terminals in Lagos. One in Agege and another at Yaba.
Alright, thank you😊
Nicely journalled experience
Is this your first train experience?
Those screens for entertainment are completely useless. They recycle 2 movies on those screens and there is never sound on any day.
The Ibadan- Lagos train is a big relief with the crazy traffic that has recently engulfed the Lagos- Ibadan expressway.
Yes it is my first.
Well at least your eyes are fed. That beats the hot and exhaustive road journey by far.
it certainly beats the hot exhaustive road trip.
And I am most grateful for its availability, but I believe the road trip feeds your eyes with more "diverse content"
Yes it does feed your eyes, but I would have preferred if that happened with some comfort at least.
My last Ibadan-Lagod journey by road was super stressful. The sun was so hot!
The car had no AC and the hold up was crazy. We were almost in the same spot for 3-4 hours.
Grateful for the train.
I heard a crazy story of a couple that spent 16hrs traveling to Lagos.
They left Ibadan at 10 am and got to Lagos at 2 am.
I would have been to Jos by then...Lol
I don't want to begin to imagine what it must have been like for them...
If it were public transport, they could just forfeit their money and go back to Ibadan... But it was their personal car...
Had to wait out the whole traffic for freaking 16hrs...
Yeah... there was this funny story too. This was within Lagos though.
A man left home taking his kids to school and was just a tiny bit late and ran into the heat of Lagos traffic.
They were in the traffic till 4pm thereabout.
The kids ate their lunch there. They even saw their mates going back home after school😂😂
At the end of the day, he went back home with the kids. He couldn't go to work and the kids didn't go to school😂😂.
lol
I would rather have pap forced down my throat like our mothers used to do to us as kids...
than live in lagos.
I don't know how some people can boldly say that they cant live anywhere else.
Same here. Can't keep up with the struggles of living there, despite the fact that opportunities are many there.
Great post about the train network in Nigeria, next time you can consider posting it in the Train Spotting community
https://peakd.com/c/hive-170068/created
Thank you so much for the heads-up!