The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has identified poor maintenance and faulty switch factors for the Abuja–Kaduna train derailment which occurred at Asham Station on August 26, 2025.
NSIB’s preliminary findings, revealed on Wednesday, showed that the derailment was triggered by defective infrastructure and lapses in safety management by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
The bureau stressed that the findings were preliminary and subject to further analysis, with a final report expected to provide deeper conclusions and additional safety measures.
The report showed that the derailment, occurred shortly after the train passed a manually operated switch point that had been previously declared unserviceable.
NSIB investigators revealed that some of the track sleepers damaged during the earlier derailment about 13 months ago and were only patched instead of being fully replaced, while the point clip used to secure the switch was broken at the time of the incident.
The report also highlighted that the train drivers were qualified, but had only received initial training without formal refresher courses, noting that critical equipment such as CCTV cameras, communication devices, and clocks were also defective.
The reports further said operational and maintenance tools, including spare parts from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) were largely inaccessible.
The NSIB further issued safety recommendations, urging the NRC to replace all compromised sleepers, install OEM-standard point switches along the Abuja–Kaduna route, and restore all defective monitoring equipment.
The report also recommended regular refresher training for NRC staff to prevent further accidents.
LEADERSHIP recalls that 21 passengers sustained injuries, while no lives were lost among the 618 people on board of the ill-fated train service.
