A sad prospect, but long experience has shown that the only way to be sure that there is a railway is to go and stand on the tracks, and the only way to know for sure that a train service operates is to be on that train and moving. So I approached Nigeria from Cameroun, intent on getting to the railway terminus at Port Harcourt and finding out for myself. If no train ran, I intended to speed across Nigeria, straight for Benin. The station proved to be rather the worse for wear and sadly in need of some paint, yet rolling stock was around and some rails bore the shine of use so the first test is passed. There was no timetable on display, but some fellows in the parcel office assured me that yes, trains did operate, and the weekly departure to Jos was tomorrow, nine a.m. Monday.
Tickets are to be bought on the day of departure.
A departure for Jos would suit me, as it is at the end of a branch line that might otherwise be missed and the city is said to be refreshingly cool after the heat of the coast. Also, it was the soonest away. Now, rather than passengers, goats wander along the platforms and roam the railyard amongst decrepit carriages slowly mouldering away. Monday started with something of a rush, as I wished to visit the chief Post Office to check on poste restante before leaving the city. It is a short way only from the station, as is the norm, and at eight a.m. I'm standing outside the doors, wondering when it will open.