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'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains - Politics - Nairaland

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'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by theshadyexpress(m): 3:13pm On Feb 10, 2013



BRAKES let out a deafening screech and steam fills the station as the Lagos-Kano train ends its 30-hour journey. Hundreds of passengers emerge wearily from brightly painted yellow, green and white carriages. It may be sweaty, crowded and very late, but after a ten-year absence this revamped link between Nigeria’s two biggest cities is a welcome relief. Travelling the 1,126km (700 miles) at an average speed of less than 50km an hour with endless stops, it is no wonder the trip takes so long. But for most Nigerians the low fares are worth it. A second-class ticket from Lagos to Kano costs around $12, roughly a quarter of the price of a more treacherous bus ride. “Hundreds of people were waiting at Ilorin [300km north of Lagos] but there wasn’t enough space for us all,” says a mother trying to appease a screaming child on her hip. “I had to stand the whole way.”

The service was relaunched last month after improvements costing $166m. Nigeria’s railways, started in 1898, have deteriorated in the past 20 years owing to those old engines of decay, corruption and mismanagement. Nigerians’ domestic travel options are limited. Most cannot afford to go by air, so take to the roads. Overfilled lorries, usually packed with dozens of passengers sitting on cargo, precariously negotiate crater-sized potholes. One stretch of road, nicknamed “Bauchi or Death”, after a northern state, is littered with overturned lorries and cars.

As well as being dangerous, Nigeria’s woeful transport network slows the economy. A rejuvenated rail network could unplug one of the biggest business bottlenecks. In the short run, freight trains are the priority. The cost of transporting goods on passenger trains is prohibitively expensive. “The charge is almost impossible,” complains Jibrin Bala, a cloth merchant. “On our way here, we had to transfer our goods onto buses.”

The success of the Lagos-Kano route, however slow, indicates the demand for a modern rail network. There are plans to invest in rehabilitating lines along the eastern corridor between Port Harcourt in the south and Maiduguri in the north-east. There is even talk of monorails in a couple of cities. As people scramble on board the new train, it is clear that the Nigerian Railway Corporation will be puffing hard to keep up with demand.

http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21571481-renovated-railway-line-welcome-more-are-still-sorely-needed-slow
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by ba7man(m): 3:21pm On Feb 10, 2013
Imagine...This was acheived at roughly the cost of $166 Million. An amount the average Governor and senior public official can embezzle with ease. Some politicians need to be lynched.

5 Likes

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by seanet01: 3:33pm On Feb 10, 2013
What a thrash?
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by theshadyexpress(m): 4:20pm On Feb 10, 2013
seanet01: What a thrash?
growup and think positively

5 Likes

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by yelsew80: 4:44pm On Feb 10, 2013
Reading this, you can easily see why Nigerians are Nigeria's worse enemies. A N'lder @bilms did the Lagos - Ilorin trip and concluded the rail transformation is a failure because the coaches were overloaded and had nothing but raps for the govt that restored a rail route that had been comatose for decades - he bought a 2nd class ticket and expected to have a Swiss - rail treat in a country of over 150m with 80% poverty rate in a rail system that saves almost three quarters of every users transport cost including his! Ambassador Bilms, God is watching you in 3D.

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Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by superior1: 4:57pm On Feb 10, 2013
seanet01: What a thrash?
Do u mean the train is a thrash?,Jonathan is working, you are hating grin grin grin

2 Likes

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Sibrah: 5:10pm On Feb 10, 2013
Oga yelsew80 take am easy oh, you mean we should be celebrating this kind of service delivery when there is so much room for improvement? It is a positive thing in its self but then i think the trains should be used to support cargo movement and not humans. Nigerians deserve more irrespective of how many years we have been without trains and under who's govt we are experiencing the mini-revival of ous trains, afterall same fed govt is in charge of Fed inter-state roads and we all know the story.

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Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by yelsew80: 5:31pm On Feb 10, 2013
Sibrah: Oga yelsew80 take am easy oh, you mean we should be celebrating this kind of service delivery when there is so much room for improvement? It is a positive thing in its self but then i think the trains should be used to support cargo movement and not humans. Nigerians deserve more irrespective of how many years we have been without trains and under who's govt we are experiencing the mini-revival of ous trains, afterall same fed govt is in charge of Fed inter-state roads and we all know the story.

Since when did "deserve" mean anything? Do you know where I "deserve" to be now? What is wrong with you? Do you know better about rail transport than the writer of that piece? Did the writer deny the discomfort and inadequacies of the system? I dont have time to skool you abeg.

5 Likes

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by theshadyexpress(m): 6:40pm On Feb 10, 2013
Mr moderator pls this piece needs to make the frontpage cos its richly educating

1 Like

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Sibrah: 9:57pm On Feb 10, 2013
yelsew80:

Since when did "deserve" mean anything? Do you know where I "deserve" to be now? What is wrong with you? Do you know better about rail transport than the writer of that piece? Did the writer deny the discomfort and inadequacies of the system? I dont have time to skool you abeg.
Deserve means something bro, we deserve what our resource and labour can afford us and not just 'anything' that comes our way.

2 Likes

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Sibrah: 9:59pm On Feb 10, 2013
Double post
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by redsun(m): 11:50pm On Feb 10, 2013
I can run that run that enterprise based on just four key things puntuality,accountability,responsibility and effeicient delivery.

Discipline is what nigeria needs.

1 Like

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by KokoBeware: 7:04am On Feb 11, 2013
Sibrah: Deserve means something bro, we deserve what our resource and labour can afford us and not just 'anything' that comes our way.

How long and how much..will it take to build the railway system we "deserve"?? I think what they did is the best move .. revamp the old one and when investors see how profitable and attractive it is.. they will come in...
Beside If ROME was built in a day am sure GEJ would have used the same engineers cos that will guarantee him re-election...

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Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by musiwa10: 7:13am On Feb 11, 2013
v

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Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by naptu2: 7:23am On Feb 11, 2013
Funny enough, I see positives both ways.

1) It's good that the service is up and running again. It may not be perfect, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step.

2) I also appreciate the critics. In the past, improvements like this have been made, but after a while they die off. The critics keep the operators on their toes and also push them to make improvements that will take us to the promised land.

2 Likes

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by naptu2: 7:24am On Feb 11, 2013
musiwa10: it was my idea.

Ogbomosho to ibadan dual road was my idea too.

Musiwa is very influential.

1 Like

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by naptu2: 7:28am On Feb 11, 2013
So I'll make my own suggestions.

1) We need an east-west line (linking Lagos-Benin-Port Harcourt-Onitsha-Enugu)

2) We need a high speed passenger rail line (this can be done via a PPP arrangement, ie, private investors build and run the system, while government regulates). The present rail system should be used for freight transport.

4 Likes

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by naptu2: 7:45am On Feb 11, 2013
Check out the map! If you want to go by rail from Lagos to Port Harcourt or Lagos to Enugu, you have to first go to Kaduna.



I was taught in primary school that the British planned it this way because they were primarily interested in getting raw materials to the ports.

However, we've been independent for more than 50 years, surely it's time for an improvement? We need an east-west line.

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Pharoh: 10:09am On Feb 11, 2013
^^

Lagos should link to benin and benin city will be a mini hub with three branches, one to port harcourt, enugu and abuja. Then the one from bida should link to the line going to abuja and there should be one more extension from makurdi to maiduguri if more important cities can be found along that route. I think sokoto should be linked to minna and the line that goes to port harcourt should be extended to calabar, uyo and join back to makurdi.

If this is not complicated or too expensive then it will be good to develop the system further and work with bus transport companies to extend the journeys to nearby cities not served by the rail system.
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Pharoh: 10:30am On Feb 11, 2013
I have actually seen the proposed development they want to make by 2015, will upload the diagrams and links later, it is impressive and covers more than what i have up there.
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by solomon111(m): 1:16pm On Feb 11, 2013
naptu2: Funny enough, I see positives both ways.

1) It's good that the service is up and running again. It may not be perfect, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step.

2) I also appreciate the critics. In the past, improvements like this have been made, but after a while they die off. The critics keep the operators on their toes and also push them to make improvements that will take us to the promised land.
critics?
Where are the critics?
We have very few rational critics in Nigeria.
What we have are scoffers,confusionists,and propagandists.
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by naptu2: 1:36pm On Feb 11, 2013
solomon111: critics?
Where are the critics?
We have very few rational critics in Nigeria.
What we have are scoffers,confusionists,and propagandists.

Your very statement indicates that they exist, although, in your opinion, they are few.
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Orikinla(m): 5:10pm On Feb 11, 2013
yelsew80: Reading this, you can easily see why Nigerians are Nigeria's worse enemies. A N'lder @bilms did the Lagos - Ilorin trip and concluded the rail transformation is a failure because the coaches were overloaded and had nothing but raps for the govt that restored a rail route that had been comatose for decades - he bought a 2nd class ticket and expected to have a Swiss - rail treat in a country of over 150m with 80% poverty rate in a rail system that saves almost three quarters of every users transport cost including his! Ambassador Bilms, [size=48pt]God is watching you in 3D[/size].

I love that line. But did God tell you that? grin

1 Like

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by jude33084(m): 5:11pm On Feb 11, 2013
theshadyexpress: growup and think positively

Which positively? Is it that thing you call train? angry

I také yaba daily to work and Wђɑ̤̥̈̊† I see there is just, just,.....abeg i dεy vex angry
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by manny4life(m): 5:13pm On Feb 11, 2013
naptu2: So I'll make my own suggestions.

1) We need an east-west line (linking Lagos-Benin-Port Harcourt-Onitsha-Enugu)

2) We need a high speed passenger rail line (this can be done via a PPP arrangement, ie, private investors build and run the system, while government regulates). The present rail system should be used for freight transport.

Where will the money for HSR come from? Do yall know how much it will cost for HSR? How many private investors around the world do you see investing in HSR network? Abeg, HSR is super expensive and only very few govts are able to build such like Asian nations.

1 Like

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Omexonomy: 5:18pm On Feb 11, 2013
seanet01: What a thrash?
thrash indeed my boss pays 80 thousand by rail as against 750thousand by road for road for 19 containners from lagos to kano and you are calling it trash.

9 Likes

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Omexonomy: 5:24pm On Feb 11, 2013
jude33084:

Which positively? Is it that thing you call train? angry

I také yaba daily to work and Wђɑ̤̥̈̊† I see there is just, just,.....abeg i dεy vex angry
my broder dont forget we are developing
my boss pays 80 thousand by rail as against 750thousand by road for 19 containners from lagos to kano and you are calling it trash.
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Adurangba(f): 5:30pm On Feb 11, 2013
Haters where are you?
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Symphony007: 5:38pm On Feb 11, 2013
This article is beautifull, this is what i call journalism!! Because it is non partisan and fair in it's analysim. In order to improve services, more trains should be made available to accomodate the crowd,total abolition of overselling of tickets, the article says the trains engage in an "endless stops" which i think it's the reason why it's slow, so to make movement faster the trains should be non-stop or the stops should be limited!! When development happens we should'nt let politics, hatred, tribalism trivialize it cause the well being of the nation trumps them all.

3 Likes

Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Omexonomy: 5:40pm On Feb 11, 2013
jude33084:

Which positively? Is it that thing you call train? angry

I také yaba daily to work and Wђɑ̤̥̈̊† I see there is just, just,.....abeg i dεy vex angry
my broder dont forget we are developing
my boss pays 80 thousand by rail as against 750thousand by road for 19 containners from lagos to kano and you are calling it trash.
jude33084:

Which positively? Is it that thing you call train? angry

I také yaba daily to work and Wђɑ̤̥̈̊† I see there is just, just,.....abeg i dεy vex angry
my broder dont forget we are developing
my boss pays 80 thousand by rail as against 750thousand by road for 19 containners from lagos to kano and you are calling it trash.
jude33084:

Which positively? Is it that thing you call train? angry

I také yaba daily to work and Wђɑ̤̥̈̊† I see there is just, just,.....abeg i dεy vex angry
my broder dont forget we are developing
my boss pays 80 thousand by rail as against 750thousand by road for 19 containners from lagos to kano and you are calling it trash.
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Omexonomy: 5:41pm On Feb 11, 2013
jude33084:

Which positively? Is it that thing you call train? angry

I také yaba daily to work and Wђɑ̤̥̈̊† I see there is just, just,.....abeg i dεy vex angry
Re: 'The Economist' Testimony On Nigeria's New Trains by Symphony007: 5:46pm On Feb 11, 2013
seanet01: What a thrash?
you clicked on this article expecting a blistering attack on the newly revamped railways but the positivity, honesty and positivity of the article disappionts you so you brand it "trash".

5 Likes

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