The Sunday Mail
Tanyaradzwa Rusike
RENOWNED American bodybuilder Robert Cheeke once said: “When you have a childhood dream that still burns and tugs at your heart when you are an adult, you owe it to yourself to pursue and achieve this dream.”
It was always a dream of mine to travel by train ever since I was a child.
Maybe it was my attachment to my late father, or the fact that I was born in the late nineties, when commuter trains had virtually stopped operating.
Or maybe it was the fact that growing up in Mufakose, I was surrounded by railway lines to the point that they almost encircled my entire neighbourhood.
My late father often told us fables of how he, as a young man, would commute to and from work on a train on those very rail lines almost effortlessly.
“This old man can spin a good yarn,” I would always think quietly to myself.
I wondered why such a utility, which from school we learnt was an affordable and comfortable mode of transportation, was not being harnessed to help address the challenges and inconvenience many Mufakose residents faced daily to commute to the CBD (central business district).
When it was announced last week that the National Railways of Zimbabwe and Zupco were reintroducing the Mufakose commuter train service, my interest was piqued for obvious reasons.
“Finally, I will have the chance to ride on one of these metal snakes,” I thought to myself.
The experience itself went by rather quickly.
It started off on Wednesday as I knocked off work and quickly made the short trip to the Harare Train Station.
I had anticipated that, as is often the case at Zupco bus terminus, there would be chaos at the train station.
I had visualised scenes reminiscent of the chaos at train stations in other parts of the world where commuters jostle violently on rail platforms for a seat inside the train.
I was wrong!
The train station was a portrait of serenity. On arrival, I paid up my $40 and got my ticket in return at the entrance without any hassle.
There was strict adherence to mask-wearing, hand sanitisation and temperature checks before going through the gates.
As dusk approached, the crowd began to gather at the ticketing counter.
I could tell from my fellow commuters that my ‘euphoria’ was shared.
In no time, the train slid its way along the platform.
Before embarking on the train, our hands were sanitised by security staff who were making sure every passenger was wearing a mask in line with Covid-19 regulations.
Inside it was a bit warm, but the seats were somewhat comfortable.
Inside the carriage, conversations were animated, testament to the pervasive joy that engulfed the coach.
For some passengers, myself included, this was a moment for selfies and videos to show off to family and friends.
For me, it was mostly to capture this momentous occasion.
“Today, I will finally get home before all my children have retired to bed,” said one passenger loudly.
She said for the past couple of weeks, she got home after 9 pm.
At exactly 5.30 pm there was a shrill whistle sound, followed on by the loud chug-chug sound of the train making its way out of the station.
The coach made its first two-minute stop to drop off passengers at the Lever Brothers station, after which it made two other stops at Lonchivar and Kambuzuma stations.
At exactly 6.15pm, we had arrived in Mufakose.
My first journey on a train had finally come to an end.
I struggled to master the resolution to disembark; I did not want the journey to end.
I remained seated for what seemed like an eternity.
Finally, I knew how my father felt all those years ago.
He was not a fibber after all.
Outside there were Zupco buses waiting to take passengers who live in neighbouring suburbs to their final destinations for free.
Little did I know, that Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana was a passenger on the very same coach.
He shared his experiences on social media after the trip.
“I have used a number of metropolitan railway lines and trains in my very short life, and this matches any that I have used in terms of comfort, keeping to the timetable and the lack of rowdiness on the train,” said Mr Mangwana.
“In some metropolitan cities, you feel unsafe because there will be drunk people who will be very rowdy and can make you feel uncomfortable.
“In this one, we were seated decently with people having conversations.
“Women felt safe and nobody was being molested.
“Even when it got a bit darker, it was still ok.”
