Now that the trains are here, can we use them?

Trains are having a moment.

Politicians across the world are taking rail infrastructure projects to the next level. Saudi Arabia has scheduled the first line of the 176 km Riyadh Metro network to commence operations by the middle of this year. China is going full steam ahead with its 15-year transport expansion plan to increase the national high-speed railway network by 85%. India comes in at overall best in railway projects with expectations to complete 49 rail projects by the end of the year. I am very pleased to be writing that on this occasion, Nigeria is in very good company. The President has launched big-ticket railways projects, including the $2 billion railway line linking Nigeria to Niger and a $3 billion railway line that connects Port-Harcourt to Maiduguri.

It’s all very exciting. But this isn’t the first time infrastructure spending has gained popularity with the government. In fact, you