Hundreds of passengers were left stranded, and others were injured, on Monday morning after an Abuja-bound train from Kaduna collided with another train along the rail corridor, prompting an immediate suspension of operations.
The incident, which occurred during the peak early morning commute, has raised serious concerns over safety protocols and the signaling system on Nigeria’s busiest rail route.
According to passengers, the train departed Kaduna on schedule but reportedly encountered a stationary or oncoming train along the track.
Witnesses described the impact as a “sudden and violent jolt” that brought both engines to a complete stop.
One passenger recounted via social media: “We were moving at a steady pace when there was a loud bang and the train suddenly braked.
We later realized we had hit another train on the same track. Everyone is shaken, but we are waiting for official word.”
Another passenger, Sada Malumfashi, said: “Just dropped from the Kaduna-Abuja train. We heard a loud bang and the train jolted to a stop, flinging people across. Passengers got hit and most are bleeding and severely injured.”
Some passengers reported that operations resumed after about 30 minutes, but there was no communication from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (@info_NRC) regarding the incident.
The NRC has not yet released an official casualty count. Preliminary reports indicate that while the collision caused significant damage to the train engines, there were no immediate reports of fatalities. Emergency teams and security personnel have been deployed to evacuate passengers and secure the site.
The crash has also raised urgent questions about the Digital Signaling System designed to prevent two trains from occupying the same track block.
Passengers suggest the incident could point to either a breakdown in communication between train operators and the control centre or a critical failure in the automated signaling system.
Politics Nigeria
