By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
Many passengers escaped major train crash on Sunday as an Abuja bound passenger train drailed from its track at Jere in Kaduna State around 8.05am.
The Authority gathered that the cause of the derailment has been linked to the vandalization of the rail tracks.
It was also learnt that about three coaches were affected by the derailment.
An official of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) hinted that various security agencies and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) have been deployed to the site of the incident.
He also allayed fears that there would be a suspension of train services along the route as a result of the derailment.
He said the operation of the corporation was only delayed for a few hours due to the accident.
Also reacting to the situation, an official of the Abuja-Kaduna Train Services (AKTS) who pleaded anonymity said: “We are thankful that the incident did not lead to any casualty.
“The coaches derailed in one of our stations where we have two lines. So, what we simply did was to detach the three coaches that were affected and move other coaches to the line that was not affected.
“We also evacuated all the passengers into the coaches that were not affected and at 10 am when we were on our way from Idu station to ascertain the situation of things in Jere (Kaduna state), our train crossed them at Kubwa station. So, all passengers were safely evacuated and they have also arrived at their destination in Abuja without any casualty.”
He also said some of the staff were currently checking the coaches affected to ascertain the level of damage and also make sure items that were probably forgotten by passengers were kept safe.
On what may be the cause of the derailment and whether train services would be suspended, he said: “As much as we cannot totally attribute the cause of the derailment to vandalization, I still think that it is one of the causes of it.
“There is no need for the service to be suspended because our engineers are already on ground the to fix the problem. The derailment did not affect our services so much, we only experienced a few hours of delay because our workers needed to check the site to make sure it was safe for other operations of the day.
“So, right now as I speak with you, passengers are currently boarding from Kaduna for Abuja. So, everything is fine.”
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) while confirming the incident, stated that normal services continue despite derailment.
The corporation in a statement by its deputy director of public relations, Yakub Mahmood stated:
“The management of the NRC hereby informs the general public especially our valued passengers that normal passenger train services between Kaduna-Rigasa, and Idu-Abuja continue despite the minor derailment of our coach at Jere station this morning.
“All the passengers on board the Kaduna-Rigasa to Idu Abuja arrived at their respective destinations safely.
‘Meanwhile, a team of NRC engineers are already at the site to restore the affected location.”
The NRC management while stating that it regrets any inconveniences, assured passengers of its efforts towards ensuring their safety and comfort always.
The management of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), also said it has deployed a team to the site of the incident.
It stated: “NSIB is aware of the derailment of an Abuja bound train from Kaduna which occurred halfway into the journey at Jere. A go team has been deployed to the site of the incident.”
