Nigerian Railway Corporation Blames Human Error, Excessive Speed For Abuja–Kaduna Train Derailment

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has attributed the recent Abuja–Kaduna train derailment, which left 20 passengers injured, to human error and excessive speeding.

According to the corporation, findings from its internal investigation revealed that the misapplication of the emergency braking system also played a major role in the incident.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by its Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, the NRC confirmed that recovery and repair works at the Asham accident site, where the August 26 derailment occurred, have now been completed.

The NRC revealed that it has completed an internal investigation into the derailment, and management has accepted all recommendations from the in-house team.

“While awaiting findings from the committee set up by the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, the Corporation reiterated its own findings, attributing the incident to operator error and excessive speed”, the statement partly read.

Opeifa further stated that all affected coaches and locomotives had been re-railed and moved to designated workshops for comprehensive evaluation and further technical work.

He said, “Our team of engineers has successfully repaired the main line to a level that allows us to safely resume operations. While train services will recommence, work on the secondary track will continue simultaneously. During this period, the second line will remain out of use until all necessary repairs are fully completed.

He also said that an official announcement regarding the resumption of train services on the Abuja-Kaduna corridor will be made soon.

While revealing the in-house findings, Opeifa said, “We have also completed an in-house investigation into the incident, with management accepting all recommendations of the internal investigation team.

“While awaiting the outcome of the committee set up by the Minister of Transportation, Senator Sa’idu Alkali, as well as the findings of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, we wish to state clearly that our investigation points to human error, excessive speeding, and misapplication of the emergency braking system.”

The NRC boss, however, explained that although train services would soon resume, repair work on the secondary track was still ongoing and would continue until it was fully completed.

He added that a comprehensive safety and infrastructure assessment was also being carried out before the full restoration of services along the corridor.

He added, “The engineers have now commenced a comprehensive safety and infrastructure assessment to ensure that all aspects of the corridor meet the highest standards of safety, durability, and reliability before operations resume. This phase includes a thorough evaluation of the repaired section and other critical infrastructure along the route.”

On injured passengers, the NRC confirmed that “Out of the 618 passengers on board the affected train, 22 sustained injuries and are at various stages of recovery. We have successfully contacted 512 passengers, while 71 are yet to be reached due to various reasons ranging from not responding, wrong numbers, and unavailability.”

Opeifa also expressed appreciation to passengers and the general public for their patience and understanding throughout the recovery process.

“The Corporation also extended gratitude to media organisations for providing timely updates and to security agencies for their role in ensuring the safety of both passengers and personnel during emergency and recovery operations.

“We acknowledge the support and understanding received from the office of the Honourable Minister of Transportation and the team at the Federal Ministry of Transportation”, the NRC added.