NRC Confirms 26 Injured in Abuja-Kaduna Train Collision Incident
The Nigerian Railway Corporation has officially confirmed that a total of 26 individuals sustained injuries of varying severity following a train incident on the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor. This event occurred on Monday, March 16, and has raised concerns about railway safety and operational protocols.
Details of the Incident
In a statement released on Tuesday via his X handle, Kayode Opeifa, the Managing Director of the NRC, provided a detailed account of the occurrence. The incident took place at approximately 9:16 a.m. near Asham Station, where a loud bang was heard as part of the train formation collided. According to Opeifa, the Kaduna–Abuja service, designated as KA-2, had departed from Rigassa Station at 7:15 a.m. and arrived at Jere Station one minute ahead of schedule at 8:52 a.m.
The train departed Jere at 8:59 a.m., which was six minutes behind schedule due to the coupling of locomotive 2809 to the rake to enhance resilience. Opeifa explained that the collision happened between kilometre points 50 and 51 as the train approached Asham Station. Preliminary reports indicate that the issue may have involved one or more couplers, although none of the coaches derailed. The exact cause of the possible decoupling remains under investigation.
Response and Recovery Efforts
Following the incident, two vehicles and the trailing locomotive involved—specifically locomotive 2809, power car BVA0002, and passenger coach SP0006—were detached from the train. The service later resumed its journey, departing the scene at 9:42 a.m., arriving at Kubwa at 10:10 a.m., and reaching its final destination at Idu Station at 10:39 a.m. This resulted in a total delay of 38 minutes for the affected passengers.
Opeifa also provided a breakdown of those on board during the incident. A total of 481 persons were present, including 429 passengers out of 459 booked, along with 10 train crew members, 26 security personnel, six food vendors, eight cleaners, and two third-party operators. Among these, 26 people, including passengers, medical crew, cleaners, and security personnel, recorded injuries of varying degrees.
Service Resumption and Operational Adjustments
On the topic of service recovery, the NRC boss stated that operations resumed later in the day. The Abuja–Kaduna train service commenced the AK1 trip from Idu to Rigassa at 2:48 p.m., against a scheduled departure time of 11:00 a.m. The train arrived at Rigassa at 5:33 p.m., with Opeifa and other NRC officials on board. A return service then departed Rigassa at 6:12 p.m., arriving at Kubwa at 8:31 p.m. and Idu at 8:58 p.m., demonstrating efforts to restore normalcy and ensure continued rail transport along this critical corridor.
