For the second time in less than 12 hours, hundreds of passengers on the Abuja-Kaduna train service were again stranded in the bush after the train developed a fault minutes after leaving Rigasa station in Kaduna state.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Fidelis Okhiria who confirmed the incident in a statement explained that the train broke down as a result of engine failure but said a relief engine has taken over.
He said; ‘Engine failure, but a relief engine has taking over’.
Read Also: Amaechi Denies Train Attack In Kaduna
However, Africa Today News, New York gathered that passengers have continued to lament the rigours of travelling on the route as breakdowns of the locomotive leave them stranded for hours.
A passenger lamented ‘I left my house as early as 5:am to join the 6:40 am train but unfortunately I have been trapped here in this forest. This is not the first time I will be experiencing this mess’.
Another passenger said he had a similar experience on Saturday, saying they spent five hours to get to Abuja.
‘This is unfortunate. On Saturday, we spent five hours from Abuja to Kaduna. We left Abuja at 6:pm but we did not get to Kaduna until 11:pm,’ he said.
An NRC engineer, who addressed the passengers, told them that it would take them two hours to fix the issue.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the same train broke down on Sunday.
The Sunday was reported by Senator Shehu Sani reported on his Facebook page, he wrote:
‘Yesterday, our Kaduna Abuja Train broke down at night in Jere village for many hours; All the Yoruba, Igbos and Hausas in the train automatically became one as brothers and sisters, while looking through the Window. So, there are things that can unite Nigerians’.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
