Abuja-Kaduna Train Accident Was Avoidable, Says NRC MD

THE Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Kayode Opeifa, has explained how the train accident involving passengers travelling from Kaduna to Abuja on Monday, March 16, describing it as an avoidable incident.
Speaking on a television programme, Opeifa explained: “About 9:16 am, probably, there was a detachment of the attached engine, and it hit the power car, the one supplying electricity to the train, and that hit the lands coach SP-006 that was attached to it. That caused a shutdown.
“There was one engine and our protocol requires two engines, so we had to move the back of the engine to go and station ahead of the train for its movement to Abuja.
“When the train got to Ojere, the back of the engine was attached, and the train continued its movement towards Asham on its way to Idu.”
Twenty-six people were injured in the incident, with the train continuing its journey 30 minutes later.
Opeifa added: “The 30 minutes were meant to remove the accidented train engine, that is the locomotive, and passengers were moved into the other five coaches at Kubwa, which was the next stop.
“The seriously injured or those who needed immediate medical attention were disembarked and taken to a hospital in Kubwa, while the rest of the passengers and some others injured were taken to Idu.”
Opeifa insisted: “It was an avoidable accident, and we have recorded 22 injuries. I personally took the train after the accident to assure Nigerians that we are taking responsibility and safety is our priority. There was no derailment or fatalities.
“We want to thank God for life. We want to thank God that it wasn’t worse than it is. It is a single train accident, not as if two trains collided.
“We adopted the airline methodology, that for every train, there will be two engines instead of one, so that if there is an incident, the second engine will move the train.
“In this case, we took off from this morning, and we discovered that something happened to one of the engines overnight, and we decided not to go with that.
“Somewhere along the line, at Asham, there was a collision from that back engine, which was not the one driving the train. It’s in the power car, the one that supplies electricity, and that will hit the last passenger coach.”
Nigeria’s rail system has witnessed recurring accidents, especially along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor, propmting the Senate to initiate a probe into the country’s rail system.