On the 29th of May 2024, the President and the FCT minister alongside other dignitaries witnessed the commissioning of the commercial operations at the Abuja Metro station in Central Area Abuja. The commissioning was to flag off the operations of the Abuja Light rail.
The Abuja light rail project was started during the tenure of the former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan. The train station was commissioned in 2018 by Former President Muhammadu Buhari, however operations were stopped, and the train abandoned due to the covid 19 pandemic. There is good news for the residents of Abuja as the train’s commercial operations have begun.
The FCT minister promised to offer free rides using the light rail for two months, but on the request of the President, the train rides would remain free till the 31st of December 2024.
Members of the Fairview team went to the metro station on the 30th of May to confirm and experience the train ride. Before going to the train station to see for ourselves, we gathered public opinion on the commissioning, and most did not believe the operations have begun. They also thought the whole thing was a scam and a way of siphoning funds, but we met a fully functional rail system in place.
The Fairview team arrived at the station and met a neat and well-developed area. A map of the intending routes of the light rail is clearly displayed at the entrance. A board showing the trains schedule is also displayed at the entrance. The train starts at Abuja metro station in central area and stops at the Airport train station.
The train is neat, new, well lit, and fully air conditioned. The train that starts from the metro station runs through stadium, and Idu and stops at the airport. There are six stops before reaching the airport station: Stadium station, Kukwaba I station, Kukwaba II station, Wupa station, Idu station, Bassanjiwa station before reaching the airport station.
The Idu station also has a light rail that leads to Gwagwa station, Dei-dei station, Kagini station and arrived at Gbazango. The train’s schedule is clearly pasted across all train stations. According to the schedule; the train moves 4 times in a day: at 8am, 10am, 3pm and 4pm.
The commercial train comes at a time when transport fare and cost of fuel are on the high side. The free rides provides an opportunity for Abuja residents to commute with lesser expenses because the locations of the stations means they must transport there too.
Although the train ride is quite slow compared to what is obtainable in other countries, it is advisable for commuters not in a hurry. The routes are currently limited but hopefully the second phase of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit System will begin in earnest to address that problem. We encourage the government to ensure tighter security measures at the stations/stops where passengers board along the way as the tracks lead through bushes to secure the lives and properties of passengers.
Overall, the experience of the train ride was commendable.
