he Nigerian Railway Corporation has apologised to all passengers on the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) afternoon belt over the delay they experienced following a procedural safety decision, as the backup engine lost power moments after the train departed.
Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr Kayode Opeifa, who stated that the passengers were never stranded, noted that the Corporation’s commitment to safety at all times informed the reason why the train returned to Kaduna the moment it was discovered that the backup engines were losing power.
He further stated that “Though the train can push through, for security concerns on the route and since they are less than 30 minutes into the journey, it is advisable to pull back to Rigasa, Kaduna, for safety reasons.”
He, however, revealed that “the journey resumed at 4 pm (60 minutes after) and arrived at Idu at 18.52 hours. Eighty minutes behind schedule. Passengers were kept informed through Public Address Systems (PAS) on the train and at the Rigasa Station.”
LEADERSHIP had earlier reported that passengers on the Abuja-Kaduna train service were left stranded after the train developed problems minutes into the trip from Kaduna.
The train, which departed Kaduna on Friday at approximately 2 pm, encountered problems about an hour into the trip and had to reverse back to Kaduna.
A passenger who spoke to LEADERSHIP from the train (names withheld) said the train crew initially could not explain what happened, but the train suddenly started reversing back to Kaduna midway through the trip.
A staff member of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) in Kaduna, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that the train was scheduled to depart at 2 pm but encountered problems on the road and returned to Kaduna for repairs.
The staff said most of the passengers were returned to the Kaduna station, hoping that the train would be fixed on time, while some others had returned home.
This incident occurred a few weeks after a Kaduna-bound train departing from the Kubwa station in Abuja derailed in August 2025, just minutes into its journey, leaving at least 14 passengers injured and sparking panic among commuters.
The train, consisting of about ten coaches, had departed Kubwa slightly after 11 a.m., behind its official schedule of 10 a.m.
The derailment occurred at Asham sub-station, the first interchange point for trains heading to Kaduna from Abuja.
