Traveling By Train in Nigeria: All The Information You Need

Train travel in Nigeria is a topic that easily seems borderline mythical. Like, do you know how many Nigerians are out there who have never seen an actual train or train tracks? Train fares also seem like they are a closely guarded secret - except that they're really not.

There is so little penetration of the rail transport system in the country that only a tiny fraction of the population have ever been on and/or frequent railway transportation. This is because only the rail route from Lagos to Kano (with all the trailing stops in between) currently works.

The image below indicates Nigeria's railway map.

So, say you want to visit Kano (or any other city that a train goes to) and are in the mood for some adventure and have some time to kill off. You should probably ditch the bus ride or flying altogether and, instead, find the price of a train ticket to where you're going.

The price of a train ticket in Nigeria, though not exactly readily available data, is not particularly hard to find. First off, you have to get to the station at Iddo town, Ebute metta to purchase tickets. Only logical, as that's where the trains take off too.

The train fares, with respect to the train routes, are listed below:

1. Lagos to Kaduna

Second Class Standard: N1,690
First Class (A/C): N2,530
First Class (A/C Sleeper: N4,990
Estimated time of arrival: 26 hours,stops inclusive.

2. Lagos to Jebba

Fare: N1,100

3. Lagos to Ibadan

Fare: N250
ETA: 5 hours, stops Inclusive.

4. Lagos to Minna

Second Class: N1,280
First Class (A/C): N1,910
First Class (A/C Sleeper): N3,300
ETA: 20 hours, stops inclusive.

5. Lagos to Kano

Second Class Standard: N1,930
First Class (A/C): N2,890
First Class (A/C Sleeper): N4,990
ETA: 35 hours, stops inclusive

6. Lagos to Ilorin

Second Class: N670
First Class: N1,050
Take off time: 9AM
ETA: 11 hours, stops inclusive

7. Lagos to Osogbo

Second Class: N510
First Class: N760
ETA: 7 hours,30minutes

There are also a couple of Train Booking Services in Nigeria that can help you get train tickets, should you prefer that. Some of them are listed below:

Mykelite Nigeria

Services: Airline Ticketing Agents, Bus Ticketing Services, Car & Coach Rental, Hotel Booking Agents, Passport & Visa Services, Rail Ticketing Agents, Tour Operators, Travel Insurance Agents. Address: 11, Gbala Street, Soluyi, Gbagada, Lagos State, Nigeria.

Renew Ventures Travel

Services: Airline Ticketing Agents, Bus Ticketing Services, Car & Coach Rental, Hotel Booking Agents, Passport & Visa Services, Rail Ticketing Agents, Tour Operators, Travel Insurance Agents Address: K19 Tafawa Balewa Square, Shopping Complex, Race Course, Lagos State, Nigeria.

Victory Travels and Tours

Services: Airline Ticketing Agents, Bus Ticketing Services, Car & Coach Rental, Hotel Booking Agents, Passport & Visa Services, Rail Ticketing Agents, Tour Operators, Travel Insurance Agents Address: No 105, Alakija, Yaba, Lagos State, Nigeria.

757 Tourism Services

Services: Airline Ticketing Agents, Hotel Booking Agents, Rail Ticketing Agents, Passport & Visa Services, Travel Insurance Agents, Tour Operators.

Address: 15 Saka Street, Off Folarin Palm Avenue Mushin, Lagos State, Nigeria - 2341

There's a lot more of them out there and they could probably give you more advice on how to go about getting a train ticket.