NRC REPORTS 26 INJURED IN ABUJA–KADUNA TRAIN CRASH
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
The Nigerian Railway Corporation has confirmed that 26 passengers and crew members sustained varying injuries following a train accident on the Abuja–Kaduna rail line on Monday.
In a statement shared Tuesday on X, NRC Managing Director Kayode Opeifa said the incident occurred around 9:16 a.m. near Asham Station, when a loud bang was heard as part of the train formation collided.
He noted that the Kaduna–Abuja service (KA-2) had departed Rigassa Station at 7:15 a.m. and reached Jere Station slightly ahead of schedule at 8:52 a.m.
“The train left Jere at 8:59 a.m., six minutes behind schedule due to the coupling of locomotive 2809 to the rake to enhance operational resilience,” Opeifa added.
Opeifa stated that the incident took place between kilometre markers 50 and 51 as the train neared Asham Station.
“At approximately 9:16 a.m., a loud bang was heard when the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the coaches. Preliminary reports indicate a possible problem with one or more couplers.
“Fortunately, none of the coaches derailed, and the exact cause of the potential decoupling is still under investigation,” he added.
Opeifa explained that two vehicles and the trailing locomotive involved in the incident — locomotive 2809, power car BVA0002, and passenger coach SP0006 — were subsequently detached from the train.
The service later resumed, departing the scene at 9:42 a.m., reaching Kubwa at 10:10 a.m., and arriving at its final stop, Idu Station, at 10:39 a.m., resulting in a total delay of 38 minutes.
He provided a breakdown of passengers and personnel on board, noting that 481 people were aboard, including 429 passengers out of 459 booked. Others included 10 train 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,” Opeifa said.
Regarding service recovery, he stated that operations resumed later in the day, with the Abuja–Kaduna train service commencing the AK1 trip from Idu to Rigassa at 2:48 p.m., later than the scheduled departure of 11:00 a.m.
The train arrived at Rigassa at 5:33 p.m. with Opeifa and other NRC officials on board, and the return journey departed Rigassa at 6:12 p.m., reaching Kubwa at 8:31 p.m. and Idu at 8:58 p.m.
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