Goodbye outdated locomotives and rusty terminals, welcome to the shiny new way of traveling on Nigerian railways!
The long-awaited Abuja-Kaduna high-speed railway finally commenced its work this month.
One of the first to try the new line was the friend of Bashir Ahmad, President Muhammadu Buhari’s personal assistant on new media, Enessi Hasan. Mr Hassan also shared photos taken during his first trip!
a express railway Credit: Enesi Hassan
Abuja-Kaduna is a 186km line with standard gauge railway tracks from Idu, near Abuja, to Kaduna in the north-western region of Nigeria. It has nine stations and features both passenger and cargo trains. It was built by the China Railway Construction Corporation with double lines over a period of three years at the cost of $850m.
Abuja-Kaduna express railway Credit: Enesi Hassan
The Abuja-Kaduna rail line is one of the first standard gauge railway modernisation projects (SGRMP) undertaken in Nigeria. READ ALSO: Controversy: Buhari under fire for ‘stealing’ Jonathan’s achievement (Photos) The passenger trains on the line can operate at a speed between 200km/h and 250km/h. The travel time between Abuja and Kaduna will be reduced to one hour and each passenger train can carry up to 5,000 commuters.
Abuja-Kaduna express railway Credit: Enesi Hassan
The line connects federal capital city Abuja with its commercial capital Kaduna, enabling faster movement of goods and people between the two cities.
Abuja-Kaduna express railway Credit: Enesi Hassan
Despite the popularity of the railways with the general public, Nigeria’s rail infrastructure remains in a poor state of repair.
The launch of this high speed rail service however is a positive step for the sector, and rail links with neighbouring countries could be opened in future years. Meanwhile, Nigerians took to Twitter to express their opinion on the matter and decide whether to praise Buhari or accuse him of taking the glory for the completion of Abuja-Kaduna high speed railway.
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