Train journey through Nigeria

Passengers ride an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

Nigeria reopened its train line to the north on Dec. 21, marking the end of a $166 million project to rebuild portions of the abandoned line washed out years earlier. The state-owned China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. rebuilt the southern portion of the line, while a Nigerian company handled the rest.

The rebirth of the lines constitutes a major economic relief to the poor who want to travel in a country where most earn less than $1 a day. Airline tickets remain out of the reach of many and journeys over the nation's crumbling road network can be dangerous. The cheapest train ticket available costs only $13.

A man walks past an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, at a terminal in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

A passenger rides aboard an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

Passengers wait to board a train to Kano, in Lagos, Nigeria, March . 8, 2013.

Passengers board an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

Nigerian policeman board an Ooni of Ife train to provide security for passengers traveling to Kano, in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

Passengers board an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

A passenger balances a bag with a portrait of U.S President Barrack Obama, as she waits to board a train in Lagos, Nigeria, March 15, 2013.

A passenger checks train fares at a terminal in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

A train driver is seen on an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

A train driver stands on an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

Passengers ride an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

A man displays train tickets to Kano, in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

Passengers purchase train tickets to Kano, in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

A passengers carrying a baby boards an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria March 8, 2013.

A Muslim women peers out the door aboard an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, in Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

Children sit on board an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

People sell tomatoes and peppers along the railway line that runs from Lagos to Kano, in Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

Passengers ride an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria, March 8, 2013.

Passengers ride aboard an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria, March 9, 2013.

Passengers board an Ooni of Ife train in Minna to Kano, Nigeria, March 9, 2013.

A police officer peers out the door of an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria, March 9, 2013.

A passenger waits for an Ooni of Ife train to arrive in Kano, Nigeria, March 9, 2013.

A child sleeps on the floor aboard an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria, MArch 9, 2013.

Passengers aboard an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, buy drinks and water at a train terminal in Mnna, Nigeria, March 9, 2013.

A derailed train car is seen on route from Lagos to Kano in Nigeria, March 9, 2013.

In this Photo taken, Saturday, March . 9, 2013, a passenger carries his baby as he board an Ooni of Ife train to Kano, Nigeria. Nigeria reopened its train line to the north Dec. 21, marking the end of a $166 million project to rebuild portions of the abandoned line washed out years earlier. The state-owned China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. rebuilt the southern portion of the line, while a Nigerian company handled the rest. The rebirth of the lines constitutes a major economic relief to the poor who want to travel in a country where most earn less than $1 a day. Airline tickets remain out of the reach of many and journeys over the nation's crumbling road network can be dangerous. The cheapest train ticket available costs only $13. ( AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Lagos to Kano rail track passes through a central market in Kaduna, Nigeria, March 9, 2013.

Passengers lineup to purchased train tickets to Kano, in a terminal in Lagos, Nigeria, March 15, 2013.

Rickshaws are park outside the train station in Lagos, Nigeria, March 15, 2013.