Warri-Itakpe Train Derails Days After Operation Resumed

The Warri-Itakpe Train Service, one of the standard gauge services operated by the Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC), has derailed.

The incident happened on Saturday evening involving two out of the Severn coaches.

This is coming three days after the resumption service on the 326-kilometer line.

The Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) which confirmed the train derailment in a statement on Sunday said it occurred “at approximately 19:30 hours, involving two out of the seven coaches of our Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) at Kilometer 212+8m, Agbor.”

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident may have been caused by suspected track vandalism,” the NRC Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa said in the statement.

Opeifa, however, stated that all passengers on board were safely evacuated to Agbor, and everyone had been fully accounted for.

“No casualties or injuries were recorded,” he added.

“Our recovery team, supported by security personnel, has been at the site since last night carrying out recovery operations. These efforts are progressing steadily and are expected to be completed soon.

“As a precautionary measure, train services on the corridor have been temporarily suspended today to enable a comprehensive security and safety audit of the track and related infrastructure.

“We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause our valued passengers and the general public. Normal operations will resume as soon as it is verified safe to do so,” the statement said.

Daily Trust reports that the NRC had suspended train service on the route since April due to a fault detected on the tracks while the corporation by engineers were mobilised to fix the track.

The train operations only resumed on Wednesday following the repairs of the tracks before the latest incident.