The Minister of Transportation, Senator Ahmed Alkali has announced that the Abuja-Kaduna train service will resume operations within ten days.
Alkali praised the security forces and other stakeholders for their continuous efforts to ensure the safety of passengers, workers, and train facilities during the ongoing restoration of the damaged tracks and coaches following the derailment of the train on August 26.
Alkali made the announcement after inspecting the ongoing clearing of the accident scene on Monday, stating that work is progressing well.
He also 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.”
He said, “Let me start by thanking 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 the Nigerian Railway Corporation NRC, Mr. Opeifa, and his team for their commitment to restoring normalcy after the incident that occurred.
“The incident took place at a location where two rail lines intersect. Typically, we operate two trains simultaneously, and there are specific points where the trains interchange. Unfortunately, the accident occurred at one of these interchange points. However, I cannot comment on the investigation at this time or speculate on the cause of the incident.”
“I am joined by the entire team from the Ministry of Transportation, the Director of Railways, along with all his engineers, and the committee responsible for the investigation. The China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) is also present, as well as a civil rights organization, ensuring a transparent investigation.
“At the time the accident occurred, the locomotive was carrying eight coaches. We have successfully moved four out of the place as you can see. We are trying to fix the infrastructure so that we can bring in a bigger crane to remove the remaining coaches and all the locomotives that are on the site, by Allah’s grace,” Alkali explained.
He further stated, “As you can see from my tour, the area affected by the accident is approximately 150 meters long. It’s not too extensive, and we will be able to repair the sleepers, pallets, and rail track to resume operations.”
On the efforts to prevent such events from happening again, the Minister said, “the teams are doing their best to ensure that such doesn’t happen again. However, it is the outcome of the investigation that will now reveal what actually happened. Then we look at it and we ensure it didn’t happen again by the grace of God Almighty.”
Hauwa Abu