By Euclid Myke
A few kilometers to its destination in Rigasa, a train belonging to the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) which took off from Abuja, has suffered an axle malfunction.
Recall that Boko Haram terrorists had on March 28, 2022, attacked an AK-9 Abuja-Kaduna train passengers where 168 passengers were kidnapped and 8 killed. The terrorists planted explosive devices along the rail track which exploded when the Abuja-Kaduna bound AK-9 passenger train approached the point, causing the train to derail leading to the death of eight passengers.
Confirming the breakdown, The Chief Public Relations Officer of NRC, Mr Callistus Unyimadu, in a statement on Thursday said that a wheel of a coach on the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) experienced hot axle some kilometres to Rigasa Station in Kaduna on Wednesday evening.
According to him, “The incident, which happened on Wednesday evening, is due to hot wheels friction as a result of abnormal temperature due to excessive heat.
“However, the situation was immediately brought under control, and the train marshalled to Kaduna and to safety,” he said.
Unyimadu added that the service would consequently experience a capacity issue in the business class.
“Passengers who were booked on the affected coach for Thursday have all been contacted through the details they provided online.
“We have also made alternative arrangements to accommodate them,” he said.
He added that the NRC management was working to ensure that the disruption would be minimal and normal service would resume fast.
“We assure all our customers and passengers of their safety on our train services, as we are determined to continue to provide the best travel experience on all our train networks.
“We apologize and regret all the inconveniences,” he said.
