The Journey From Lagos to Ibadan By Train.
On a Saturday morning, while the rest of my household still slept, I quietly slid into a cab with my travel backpack and mumbled some greeting to the driver. He responded cheerfully, before adding “It says you’re going to The Mobolaji Johnson train station”?. That’s correct, I replied. The Lagos to Ibadan train station, just at the Alagomeji bus stop in yaba”.
I had carefully packed my clothes just hours earlier, ticking off things on a list I titled “Ibadan weekend trip”. The details about this trip weren’t exactly as clear-cut as I would have liked, but it would be my first time getting on a train ever. My excitement about having to get on a train from Lagos to Ibadan was fuel keeping me going in an otherwise hazy situation. That, and of course the fact that I was going to be spending the weekend at one of my favorite places in Nigeria – IITA Ibadan.
Related: An Unforgettable Trip To Ibadan + My Review of IITA Ibadan.
How To Book A Train Ticket From Lagos To Ibadan?
I arrived at the train station some minutes to 7 am (6:45am to be precise). The lady I met the day before, when I had come to make inquiries stressed the importance of me arriving early – “come by 7am because the train leaves by 8:30 am, she had repeated over again”.
Not one to throw away solid advice like that, I was at that train station early enough to be prepared for whatever chaos would ensue when getting a ticket. Tickets aren’t yet sold in advance, so tickets can be gotten on the same day as the trip. Surprisingly, it was pretty straightforward and not as fussy as I would have expected, with Nigerians Nigerianning.
The ticket booth opened up by 7am, and by 7:20 am, I had secured my standard class ticket and was off to find a spot to wait for the boarding announcements.
How much is the train from Lagos to Ibadan?
The train goes to Ibadan, with a stop at Abeokuta every day except on Sundays. There are three categories of tickets – the standard class which costs N2500 to Ibadan, the business class for N5000, and the first class for N6000. I had heard that there aren’t any noticeable differences between each class, so I opted for a standard class ticket. It was a good choice, as I was comfortable through the ride and had no regrets.
My Experience On The Lagos To Ibadan Train.
By around 8 am, the boarding call was announced and we all piled up in a line for a short trek to the boarding station. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the process was seamless, with helpful attendants, and a really clean train. Another thing that really stamped the experience for me was how timely everything was. By 8:30, the train was pulling out of the station, and I was settled in for the journey.
The journey lasted for about three hours, much longer than should be ideal, but I was prepared in advance for this so it didn’t take me by surprise. What I wasn’t prepared for though, was how cold it would get on the train. I had assumed that as with all things Nigeria, the AC would function at a sub-optimal level. Boy was I wrong! In no time, I was already yearning to feel the heat of the sun on my back again.
It was quite a pleasant ride. I was fortunate enough to get a window seat, so I spent a good chunk of my time sleeping. Will I do it again? Heck yes! With a sweater, of course.
Other things to note for your train ride from Lagos to Ibadan:
- Go with a form of Identification. I used my driver’s license.
- Card and transfer are not accepted, so you have to go with the amount in cash. You will find someone that does POS withdrawal, but it’s a safer bet to go with cash instead.
- Meals aren’t served on the train, so go with something to snack on if you’re the time that gets hungry easily/happen to not have breakfast before you leave (which is very likely).
- It gets cold! I feel the need to re-enforce this lol.
Have you ever taken the train from Lagos to Ibadan? What was your experience like? Please share your thoughts and let’s connect!
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I enjoyed reading this blog. I’d like to use the train someday as I have never boarded a train.
This is awesome. I am glad you arrived safe.
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I love how you always document your experiences. I find that it inspires me to want to get out more and also actively document.
The train side looks beautiful btw, very picturesque,
Quick question: how long was the train ride?
Thank you! It was approximately 3 hours
I enjoyed reading this! Thanks for sharing your experience.
I’m envious that you guys could stroll to the train. When I took it to Abeokuta during the holidays last year, I literally ran to make sure that I could get on board as I got to the station pretty late.
Yes yes, I also sat on my hands about 40% of the trip because I didn’t expect the AC to be on full blast. The train wasn’t full at all at the time, and I could move seats to have my device connected (because whoever gets the aisle seat doesn’t get to enjoy the charging utilities properly, IMO).
it was a pleasant experience in all; the train was clean, the officials were helpful (God bless the man who handles one of their helplines because I had questions). Also, I read somewhere that trips still take longer because the trains move at 30kmph or something like that, which is extremely slow (lol. The entire trip to Abeokuta, I kept thinking “when will these people change gears?”)
Such a well detailed post. While I’m yet to use the Lagos to Ibadan train, I have used the Abuja to Kaduna train. It’s was stress free moving from Abuja to Kaduna, but from Kaduna to Abuja? That was a whole level of stress and disorganization and I hope they do something about it. This was in 2019 though.
These all look beautiful and I’m sure you had an amazing ride I’m looking to take the train to Ibadan on a weekend and I read elsewhere they it takes off by 8am and 6pm on Saturdays for IB, I’d like to confirm how true that is pls.
Many thanks
Hiii! The correct timing for the train is listed in the schedule picture in this post
Hi Casse,Pls does the train operate on sundays?
Yes! It’s a new development though, it wasn’t operating on sundays as at the time I wrote this post.
I am planning to take a train ride to Ibadan, your post was helpful. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this wonderful piece and detailed analysis. You just help me though
Were you privileged to see what the first class or business class looks like?
This came at the right time. I was thinking of doing this for the first time too next week. Thanks
…..great write-up and beautiful pictures to accompany…..(so I am curious…..were the pictures taken with a phone camera or a professional camera…..am still curious)