June 28, (THEWILL) – Hundreds of passengers were left stranded as the Abuja-Kaduna train broke down in the middle of a forest on Monday.
The incident happened few minutes after the train left Rigasa Station in Kaduna State.
A passenger claimed that the train had initially stopped twice before it finally broke down irreparably in Dutse, Kaduna State around 7am.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidelis Okhiria, also, confirmed the incident.
Okhira said the train broke down as a result of engine failure but said a relief engine had taken over.
“Engine failure, but a relief engine has taking over,” the MD told newsmen.
However, passengers have continued to lament the rigours of travelling on the route as regular breakdown of the locomotive usually left them stranded for hours.
Midat Joseph, an Assistant National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who is one of the passengers, said the train developed the fault around 7am.
He said: “I left my house as early as 5:am 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.”
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 train.
“We are very sorry, the locomotive is faulty. We have contacted the Idu Train Station for another locomotive. It would take them two hours to be here,” he said.
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