Tag: Abuja-Kaduna

The Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) has fully resumed passenger operations after weeks of suspension for safety checks, staff training, and technical inspections.

Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, joined passengers on the inaugural trip from Idu Station in Abuja to Rigasa in Kaduna in a symbolic move to rebuild public confidence in the service.

The train made its routine stop at Kubwa before arriving in Kaduna, with a return trip scheduled the same day.

Speaking on arrival at Rigasa, Dr. Opeifa expressed gratitude for “God’s grace during the recovery period,” emphasizing that modern rail transport remains vital to national unity and economic growth.

Read Also: Abuja-Kaduna train service set to resume next week

He also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for its significant investments in railway infrastructure across the country.

 “We are determined to turn around the fortunes of the Corporation by completing ongoing projects, optimizing existing assets, rehabilitating rolling stock, expanding services and modernising operations, particularly along this corridor,” the NRC boss said.

He disclosed that a new Customer Service Department has been established to promptly attend to passenger complaints and improve service delivery.

On security, Opeifa reassured passengers of their safety, pointing to the visible deployment of police and military personnel along the route and in stations, alongside discreet security measures “to safeguard all stakeholders.”

The NRC chief reaffirmed his determination to transform the corporation into a world-class, passenger-friendly service provider that will drive socio-economic growth through safe and efficient rail transport.

The AKTS, one of the busiest passenger rail corridors in the country, had been suspended to allow for extensive safety upgrades. Yesterday’s resumption is expected to rekindle public trust in the service and ease pressure on road transport between Abuja and Kaduna.

Transportation Minister Said Ahmed Alkali has assured Nigerians that the damaged portions of the Abuja-Kaduna tracks will be restored in the next 10 days.

Some portions of the rail tracks and coaches were damaged last Tuesday when a Kaduna-bound train derailed at Asham Station.

There were 618 passengers, comprising 583 passengers, 15 crew members of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), one medical personnel, eight cleaners, and 11 catering workers onboard when the train derailment occurred..

Seven passengers sustained varying degrees of injury in the accident.

Alkali announced the repair works yesterday in Abuja following an inspection of the accident scene.

The minister hailed security personnel and other stakeholders for ensuring the safety of the passengers, the workers, and the rail infrastructure in the ongoing operations to restore the damaged tracks and coaches.

He stated that the NRC workers have been working day and night to ensure that the clearing and repairing of the damaged tracks are completed at the earliest possible time.

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Alkali said: “I thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support since the incident happened. He has given us the support to ensure that we move the locomotive and the coaches and fix the rail line so that we will be back in operation.

“From what I have seen, I also want to commend the Managing Director of NRC and his team because they are on site, as you can see, day and night, trying to restore normalcy after the incident.

“Actually, the incident occurred at a point where we have two rail lines. Normally, we are running around two trains at a time. So, there are points where the two trains will interchange.

“So, normally, we have a point there. That is where the accident occurred. However, I am not in a position now to pre-empt the investigation, to say why the incident happened.

“I am here with the team from the Ministry of Transportation, the Director of Railway and all his engineers, and even the committee doing the investigation. The CCECC officials are here, civil society organisations, and we are here to ensure we do justice to the investigation.

“I also want to commend the MD of CCECC and his team. He has been very supportive of our ministry and of the NRC since the incident occurred.

“At the time the accident occurred, the locomotive was carrying eight coaches. We have successfully moved four out of the place, and we are trying to fix the infrastructure so that we have a bigger crane, so that we can move the coaches and all the locomotives that are on the site.

“In shaa Allah, in the next 48 hours, we will be able to move all of them out of the site. After that, if we don’t have weather challenges, in the next 10 days, we are going to restore the line.”

The minister explained that only about 150 metres of the tracks were affected by the accident.

“It is only about 150 metres that were affected. So, it’s not too long. We will be able to fix the sleepers, the pallets, and the rail track so that we can be back in operation. It is a cardinal responsibility of government to provide welfare for its citizens.”

Alkali spoke on the government’s efforts to prevent a recurrence.

He said: “The teams are doing their best to ensure that such does not happen again. However, it is the outcome of the investigation that will reveal what actually happened. Then we will look at it and ensure it doesn’t happen again, by the grace of God Almighty.”

The Minister of Transportation, Sen. Said Ahmed Alkali, has assured that the damaged portions of the Abuja-Kaduna tracks will be restored in the next ten days.

Some portions of the rail tracks and coaches were damaged last week, Tuesday, after a Kaduna-bound train derailed at Asham station.

618 persons were on board, comprising 583 passengers, 15 NRC crew members, one medical personnel, eight cleaners and 11 catering staff.

Seven passengers sustained varying degrees of injury in the accident.

The Minister, on Monday, after an inspection of the accident scene, commended security personnel and other stakeholders for their efforts in ensuring the safety of passengers, workers and rail infrastructures in the ongoing operations to restore the damaged tracks and coaches.

He stated that the staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation have been working day and night to ensure that the clearing and repairing of the damaged tracks are done at the earliest possible time.

Read Also: Fed Govt set up committee to probe Abuja-Kaduna train derailment

He said, “I thank President Bola Tinubu for his support since the incident happened. He has given us support to ensure that we move the locomotive and the coaches and fix the rail line so that we will be back into operation.

“From what I have seen, I also want to commend the Managing Director of NRC and his team because they are on site, as you can see, day and night, trying to restore normalcy after the incident that occurred.

“Actually, the incident occurred at a point where we have two rail lines. Normally, we are running around two trains at a time. So there are points where the two trains will interchange. So normally, we have a point there. That is where the accident occurred. However, I am not in a position now to pre-empt the investigation, to say why the incident happened.

“I am here with the team from the Ministry of Transportation, the Director of Railway and all his engineers, and even the committee doing the investigation. The CCECC are here, Civil Society Organization, and we are here to ensure we do justice to the investigation.

“I also want to commend the MD of CCECC and his team. He has been very supportive of our ministry and of the NRC since the incident occurred.

“At the time the accident occurred, the locomotive was carrying eight coaches. We have successfully moved four out of the place, and we are trying to fix the infrastructure so that we have a bigger crane, so that we can move the coaches and all the locomotives that are on the site. Insha Allah, in the next 48 hours, we will be able to move all of them out of the site, and after that, if we don’t have weather challenges, in the next 10 days, we are going to restore the line”.

He added that only about 150 metres of the tracks were affected by the accident.

“It is only about 150 metres that were affected, so it’s not something too long. We will be able to fix the sleepers, the pallets and the rail track so that we will be back to operation. It is a cardinal responsibility of the government to provide welfare for its citizens.”

On efforts to prevent recurrence, Alkali said, “The teams are doing their best to ensure that such does not happen again. However, it is the outcome of the investigation that will reveal what actually happened. Then we look at it and ensure it doesn’t happen again by the grace of God Almighty.”

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD) on Tuesday called for enhanced security and routine maintenance of the Abuja-Kaduna rail line following the derailment of a passenger train on Tuesday morning.

The incident occurred at about 11:09 a.m., roughly 49 kilometers between Kubwa and Asham, after the train departed Abuja around 9:45 a.m. en route to Kaduna. 

Passengers on board were left shaken but emergency response teams quickly mobilized to the scene.

Confirming the derailment, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) said it had activated emergency and security services to handle the situation.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the Acting Director General of FEMD, Abdulrahman Mohammed, commiserated with passengers while acknowledging the swift intervention of NRC operatives and first responders.

Read Also: Six passengers injured as NSIB begins probe of Abuja-Kaduna train derailment 

The statement signed by Nkechi Isa, Head, Public Affairs at FEMD stressed the need for the NRC to intensify efforts in ensuring the safety of rail transport through consistent track maintenance and heightened security measures.

“Beyond today’s response, there is a greater need to secure and maintain our rail tracks to prevent sabotage and guarantee the safety of lives,” Abdulrahman said.

The Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor, a critical link between Nigeria’s capital and the North-West, has faced several challenges in recent years ranging from insecurity to infrastructure setbacks.

The FEMD’s fresh appeal underscores growing concerns over the safety of rail passengers on one of the nation’s busiest train routes.

Contrary to a report published in a national daily (not The Nation), the Federal Government awarded any section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road dualisation to Infoquest Nigeria Ltd.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, who dismissed the report, demanded a public apology from the newspaper. He labeled the claim as damaging and unjustified. 

Umahi insisted that the newspaper issue a public apology to the Ministry of Works to be published in at least five national dailies, for disseminating inaccurate information about the ministry.

At a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, the minister also addressed what he described as deliberate misrepresentation and mischief in sponsored publications by Julius Berger Plc while criticising the company’s recent statements in several national dailies regarding its failure to fulfill contractual obligations on a section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road, which led to the termination of its contract.

Regarding the reawarded contract, the minister clarified that the ministry has no association with Infoquest Nigeria Ltd, instead, the contractor handling the project is Infiouest International Limited, a company that has fully complied with all legal and corporate requirements.

Displaying Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and other relevant documents as evidence, Umahi criticized the publication as a deliberate attempt by detractors to discredit the ministry and undermine the government’s efforts to transform road infrastructure, describing it as mischievous, misleading, and damaging, refuting claims attributed to him in the report.

The minister cited how he was falsely quoted as stating that Infoquest Nigeria Ltd secured a “No Objection” of ₦252.89 billion from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for the rehabilitation of a section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway, with the ministry alleged to have awarded the contract to an obscure company.

He condemned the publication as a deliberate effort by vested interests to undermine his ministry’s commitment to transparency, quality assurance, and value-for-money in project execution.

Addressing claims made by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc regarding the Abuja-Kano Expressway construction, the minister explained that Julius Berger had failed to meet terms for completing the Abuja-Kano road project despite 40 months of negotiation.

“We couldn’t agree on timelines or a fair price,” he said. 

He highlighted that 65% of the project had been completed at ₦391 billion, but the contractor demanded an additional ₦1.1 trillion to finish the remaining 35%.

“We disaggregated the project and re-awarded sections 1 and 3 under a tax credit scheme to expedite completion,” the minister explained, adding that Section 2 remains under procurement, with Julius Berger invited to submit a bid alongside other companies.  

The ministry minister also addressed concerns about substandard work on completed sections, emphasizing the government’s commitment to durable and efficient infrastructure.

Read Also: FG awards ₦366m phase 1 palliative works on Abuja-Kaduna expressway

“We are engineers; we know what we’re doing. The patches on the road are evidence of inadequate quality,” he said, underscoring the importance of value for money.  

Umahi revealed that Julius Berger had been hiring equipment from InfoQuest, contradicting claims of the latter’s inexperience. 

He further revealed that Julius Berger frequently demanded contract reviews and additional costs across its projects.

“In September, they requested ₦80 billion review for the Port Harcourt-Bonny Road, despite a no-review clause in their initial agreement,” he disclosed.  

According to him, the ministry outlined measures to curb delays and enforce accountability, including invoking penalty clauses for contractors who fail to deliver on time.

“We are committed to protecting taxpayers’ money and ensuring value for every kobo spent,” he assured.

The Minister of State, Bello Goronyo, reinforced the Ministry’s stance, emphasizing that the administration prioritizes fairness, transparency and efficiency. 

“We will not succumb to pressure or misinformation. The focus remains on delivering quality infrastructure for Nigerians,” he said.

A train en route to Abuja from Kaduna derailed at Jere in Kaduna state in the early hours of Sunday, May 26.

The train with an unidentified number of passengers derailed halfway into the journey which commenced around 8:05 am.

An official of the service who was on the ground to ascertain the cause of the derailment said it may not be unconnected to the vandalization of the rail tracks.

He said no fewer than three coaches were affected by the derailment.

He said personnel from the 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.

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He said the operation of the corporation was only delayed for a few hours due to the accident.

The 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.”