The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has confirmed that 26 passengers and crew members sustained varying degrees of injuries following a train incident along the Abuja–Kaduna rail corridor on Monday.
In a statement shared on Tuesday, the NRC Managing Director, Kayode Opeifa, said the incident occurred at about 9:16 a.m. near Asham Station when a loud bang was heard as parts of the train formation collided.
According to him, the Kaduna–Abuja service (KA-2) departed Rigassa Station at 7:15 a.m. and arrived at Jere Station at 8:52 a.m., slightly ahead of schedule.
“The train departed Jere at 8:59 a.m., six minutes behind schedule due to the coupling of locomotive 2809 to the rake to enhance resilience,” he said.
Opeifa explained that the incident occurred between kilometre points 50 and 51 as the train approached Asham Station.
“At about 9:16 a.m., a loud bang was heard as the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the coaches. Preliminary findings suggest a possible issue with one or more couplers.
“None of the coaches derailed, and the exact cause of the decoupling is yet to be determined,” he added.
He said the affected components, including locomotive 2809, power car BVA0002, and passenger coach SP0006, were detached after the incident.
Despite the disruption, the train resumed movement at 9:42 a.m., arrived Kubwa at 10:10 a.m., and reached its final stop at Idu Station at 10:39 a.m., recording a delay of 38 minutes.
Providing further details, Opeifa said 481 persons were on board, including 429 passengers out of 459 booked.
Others on the train included 10 crew members, 26 security personnel, six food vendors, eight cleaners, and two third-party operators.
“A total of 26 individuals sustained varying degrees of injuries, including passengers, medical staff, cleaners, and security personnel attached to the service,” he said.
On service recovery, the NRC boss said operations resumed later in the day, with the Abuja–Kaduna service departing Idu for Rigassa at 2:48 p.m., instead of the scheduled 11:00 a.m.
The train arrived Rigassa at 5:33 p.m., while the return trip departed at 6:12 p.m., arriving Kubwa at 8:31 p.m. and Idu at 8:58 p.m.
The corporation assured passengers of its commitment to safety, noting that investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident.
