Lagos-Ibadan Railway is a 157-kilometre rail trip in South West Nigeria from Ebute Metta in Lagos to Moniya in Ibadan. The trip is a section of the proposed Lagos to Kano Standard Gauge Rail Project.

Understand

The railway line is a double track standard gauge rail, the biggest in West African sub-region.It is the first part of a new 2,773-km Lagos-Kano standard gauge line. Lagos-Ibadan railway was built by Chinese which the construction started in 2007, and it is built to link Nigeria's southwestern cities of Lagos, Abeokuta and Ibadan. It was officially commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2021.

The train is fully air-conditioned with newly-acquired coaches and locomotives. The train trip runs from Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan.

It has three major train stations. The Mobolaji Johnson Station which is the largest railway station in West Africa with a holding capacity of 6000 passengers, Wole Soyinka Train Station at Abeokuta, Chief Obafemi Awolowo Station, Moniya, Ibadan.

Prepare

The travel time from Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan is 2 hours with a 5-minute stop at Abeokuta.

Passengers can purchase their tickets online using the NRC website. TIckets can be purchased a maximum of two days in advance with options for standard, business class and first class. In order to buy tickets on this website, you need a National Identity Number (NIN) and a Nigerian phone number to register an account with.

Get in

• For passengers boarding the train coming from Ikeja, take a bus to Yaba enroute Ikorodu road, From Yaba bus stop take another bus to the station at Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos. The entrance to the station is right next to the Alagomeji bus stop.
• Passengers in Ibadan are to take the train at the Moniya station, which is about a 20-minute drive from the Iwo Road Garage and about a 10-minute drive from the Ojoo main park. A bus can be boarded from Iwo road Garage to the station and if you are at Ojoo, You can board a bus from the Ojoo main park to the station.
• Mobolaji Johnson Train Station, Ebute Metta Jct, Alagomeji-Yaba 101245, Lagos. (updated Dec 2021)

Get on

Fares (July 2022):

Lagos to Ibadan (Zone 1-2)

• First Class: ₦6000
• Business Class: ₦5000
• Economy Class: ₦2500
• Child: ₦300

Lagos to Abeokuta (Zone 1)

• First Class: ₦5000
• Business Class: ₦3500
• Economy Class: ₦2000
• Child: ₦950

Abeokuta to Ibadan (Zone 2)

• First Class ₦2000
• Business Class: ₦1500
• Economy Class: ₦600
• Child: ₦300

Schedule

As of July 2022, the LITS runs only 2 trips a day. Official schedule for the trains are as follows:

Weekends

• Lagos to Ibadan and Ibadan to Lagos: Departure times are 8:30AM and 6PM

Weekdays

• Lagos to Ibadan and Ibadan to Lagos: Departure times are 8AM and 4PM

A trip from Lagos to Ibadan or Ibadan to Lagos ordinarily takes about 2½ hours, with a stopover in Abeokuta.

• The departure point at Ibadan is the Chief Obafemi Awolowo Station at Moniya. The train leaves this station at exactly 8AM, and arrives at the Mobolaji Johnson Station at Ebutte Metta, Lagos around 10:40AM.
• For the return trip to Ibadan, the train leaves the Mobolaji Johnson Station at 4PM and arrives at Moniya by 6:40PM.

On board

The Lagos-Ibadan train can travel at 150 km/h. The coaches are fully air-conditioned and they are fitted with three overhead television screens. The interior of the train is welcoming and the seats are quite comfortable. There is a rack above every seat to keep your luggage. The windows of the train have a curtain to prevent sun ray during the sunny days. The toilets are clean and well-equipped. There are power sockets at the side of each seats for passengers to charge their phones. Also worthy of note is the attentive crew. In case of any emergencies, there are nurses on board.

For the business class and the executive class, the seats have arm rest, the back rest of the seats is adjustable and all the coaches have a dedicated toilet and wash hand basin for any passenger who wants to wash their hands. There is a small kitchenette for passengers to get water and make coffee.

While you are on board, there will be intermittent announcement, from the take off point and the time the train will take off. There will also be announcement when the train is approaching the train stations along the train route. The duration of the train stopping will also be announced. Consumption of alcohol and cigarettes is not permitted on board.

There are also electrical sockets and USB ports attached to each seat section on the train. You are allowed to power your devices while on board. There is a screen displaying a subtitled movie and there will be music playing from the announcement speaker in a low volume.

Route

Mobolaji Johnson Train Station, Alogomeji, Ebute Metta, Lagos

Obafemi Awolowo Train Station, Moniya, Ibadan

The trip starts at the Mobolaji Johnson Train Station at Alagomeji, Ebute Metta, Lagos, and it moves to the Babatunde Raji Fashola Train Station at Agege, Lagos.

The journey continues to the Wole Soyinka Train Station at Abeokuta, the train proceeds to the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Train Station at Omi Adio, Ibadan.

The train stops at the Obafemi Awolowo Train Station at Moniya, Ibadan.

There are train stations under construction at Olodo, Kajola and Papalanto.

Stay safe

You should ensure you keep your hold of your luggage well for your security. Don't patronise touts for your tickets, go online and buy your tickets online only from the official website. Ensure you obtain your e-ticket in the form of a QR code that you can see on your phone. It will appear on the website after a successful booking (screenshot the page), and the e-ticket is supposed arrive in your email, including the QR code (as of September 2024).

Your e-ticket will be scanned for you to board the train.