NRC suspends Abuja–Kaduna train service after derailment
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended the Abuja–Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) indefinitely following a derailment on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred around 11:09 a.m. at KM 49 between Kubwa station and Asham station. Kayode Opeifa, Managing Director of the NRC, confirmed this in a statement.
“Following the derailment of the Kaduna-bound Abuja–Kaduna Train Service earlier today at Asham, Kaduna State, the NRC wishes to provide an update on the situation,” he said.
According to Opeifa, 618 persons were successfully evacuated from the train. They included 583 passengers, 15 NRC crew members, one medical personnel, eight cleaners, and 11 catering staff.
“Out of this number, seven passengers sustained varying degrees of injury and were immediately transported by ambulances to hospital facilities by medical personnel mobilised to the site,” he added.
He explained that the remaining passengers were conveyed back to Idu and Kubwa stations aboard a rescue train dispatched for that purpose. “All have since returned safely to their destinations,” he said.
The NRC boss also announced that refunds would be issued to all affected passengers.
“In line with NRC’s commitment to passenger welfare, its third-party ticketing company had been directed to immediately issue refunds to all passengers on board the affected train,” he said.
He noted that an investigation into the derailment had begun under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Transport.
“Meanwhile, all Abuja–Kaduna Train Services (AKTS) have been temporarily suspended pending recovery of the site, further clearance and official announcement of service resumption. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and thank our esteemed passengers and the general public for their understanding,” Opeifa said.
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