Movement
has begun effectively along the railway despite tragic incidents of
last weekend. nhabitants of Yaounde and its environs are yet to forget
the tragic incidents that occurred over the weekend: two train
accidents in two major entrances of the town and a fire disaster at the
extension of the Yaounde Central market popularly known as “Kosovo”. In
all 12 people died in the two train accidents and over 600 wounded. The
situation has left many people worried as many continue to doubt about
the future of the railway system in Cameroon. This notwithstanding,
life has gone back to normal and movement has begun effectively along
the railway. At the Yaounde train station in the Elig Essono
neighbourhood work is going on normally. When Cameroon Tribune
reporters visited the railway station yesterday they found that the
area was exceptionally busy. This was quite normal as it was the
arrival of the train from the northern part of the country, precisely
Ngaoundéré. People were seen carrying their luggage on their heads,
others with children, coming out of the train and looking tired.
At the main entrance were young men who were hunting for passengers travelling to other regions notably the West, Littoral and North-West Regions. Cab drivers were also present for the same objective while police control was intensive to ward off pickpockets and ensure safety of lives and property. One of the passengers who came from Ngaoundéré told Cameroon Tribune that the journey from the North was smooth and without any major hitches. He said the only problem was the delay in take-off time. “We left Ngoaundéré at 7:10 p.m, one hour behind the normal time which is 6:10 p.m,” a traveller told C.T.
Also, there was a long file of passengers who were eager to travel. Many were waiting anxiously to pay for their tickets before departure time at 6:00 p.m. Transport fare from Yaounde to Ngoaundéré stands at FCFA 10,000 for second class and FCFA 17,000 for first class. Mrs Xaverie Mbida, a teacher in Kousseri said she was waiting to buy second class tickets for her and her children to travel back to Kousseri. According to her, travelling by train is the best option for now as the road to the north is not good. She explained that travelling by train is rather difficult these days especially as schools are about to reopen. She rather wished that Camrail provide its customers with a night train as well in order to avoid overcrowding in the train. “People travel standing even though they have bought their tickets. If you are lucky to get a seat then you can sit down,” she said. However, many passengers expressed the wish that Camrail and the government review the state of the railway infrastructure to ensure the safety of passengers.
Cameroon Tribune
