Unforgettable Train ride experience.

When my dad use to tell me about his joy ride in trains, it was more like a fantasy because growing up, trains and train stations were dilapidated and abandoned by the government. Over time, efforts were made by the government to revive the train sector to start working and I got the opportunity of entering for the first time.

Boarding a train is one ride I can never forget so easily. The privilege of watching the landscape change from city streets to rolling hills, rivers, and forests was mind blowing. I paid for the first class ticket. I wanted to see how is like to roll with the big boys, eating free snacks drinks and luxury of a cool air condition.

At first I was enjoying the moment but as time went on, it became so bored. I slept like a million times inside the train yet we still hadn’t gotten to our destination. Nobody to even have a little chit chat with, everyone was just minding their business. I decided to do a little stroll inside the train when they stopped at one of the stations.

The economy section of the train seem to be more fun and buzzing with live. See hawkers jumping into the train to sell there stuff before the train starts moving. You could see the passengers interacting with each other like they were on a road trip with friends not like the vip section, where everyone is keeping a straight face as if I’m the cause of their marital crisis. The energy here was different. I met with someone that made the journey worthwhile for me.

The journey took like forever before we got to our destination. We arrived at night and what I went for I couldn’t do it that day. It had to be shifted to the next day. This time, I came back by road because I couldn’t endure staying so much long hours. The train ride had been an experience, but I wasn’t eager to repeat it again.

But in recent times, train journeys have taken a darker path. You hear different stories of armed Fulani bandits coming out of bushes to attack, kill, kidnap and rob train passengers of their possessions. As if that’s not enough, you see iron scavengers destroying the rail tracks just to steal the iron. This has resulted to a lot of accidents. I believe the government has been working round the clock to keep the rail saved for commuters.

What was once a dream ride for my dad has now become a gamble with fate. The worse part is that this bandits keep growing in large numbers and won’t rest.