File photo
Many passengers were left fearing for their lives after the Kaduna-Abuja train broke down inside the bush in Dutse.
According to Sahara Reporters, Midat Joseph, an Assistant National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who is one of the passengers, said the train developed a fault around 7am.
“I left my house as early as 5am to join the 6:40am train but unfortunately I have been trapped here in this forest. This is not the first time I will be experiencing this mess,” he said.
Another passenger said he had a similar experience on Saturday, saying they spent six hours to get to Abuja from Kaduna.
On November 22, 2020, the train also broke down with passengers stranded in the bush for hours on that Friday evening.
A video had circulated on social media showing the passengers scattered outside the train, relaxing while the faulty train was being repaired.
The Manager of Rigasa Station, Aminu Ibrahim, said the incident had to do with a mere mechanical fault, which he said was normal for any engine.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi had disclosed two days later that the locomotives on the Abuja-Kaduna rail route that broke down up to two times would be returned to China.
Amaechi noted that “it is worrisome that these locomotives that are brand new are failing.”
He explained that the locomotives have a warranty that covers them for over four years, adding that the government was considering returning them to China.
“This will affect the number of times the train will now run on the route,” the minister had stated.
Abuja-Kaduna is a 186km line with standard gauge railway tracks from Idu, near Abuja, to Kaduna in the north-western region of Nigeria.
It has nine stations and features both passenger and cargo trains.
The passenger trains on the line can be operated at a speed between 200km/h and 250km/h. The travel time between Abuja and Kaduna will be reduced to one hour and each passenger train can carry up to 5,000 commuters.
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