Needless woes of Abuja–Kaduna rail services

Ever since the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) resumed operations on the Abuja–Kaduna rail line after suspending train services on the route for one month, the service has kept worsening day by day. Delays and other inexcusable forms of ineffectiveness have continued to characterise the Abuja–Kaduna train service since operations were restored on October 1, 2025. […]

Ever since the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) resumed operations on the Abuja–Kaduna rail line after suspending train services on the route for one month, the service has kept worsening day by day. Delays and other inexcusable forms of ineffectiveness have continued to characterise the Abuja–Kaduna train service since operations were restored on October 1, 2025.

It would be recalled that the Abuja–Kaduna passenger train service was suspended on August 26, 2025, after a derailment incident at Asham Station. The cause of the derailment, according to the National Safety and Investigation Bureau (NSIB), was linked to damaged track legs and an unserviceable switch mechanism, attributed partly to vandalism. The derailment occurred shortly after the train left Abuja at about 11am, en route to Kaduna. Passengers on board the train described the scene as traumatic and chaotic, even as some of the over 500 passengers on board sustained minor injuries.

The resumption of train service on the route followed the successful completion of repair works and safety checks on the affected section of the track at Asham. Speaking on behalf of the management, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the NRC, Callistus Unyimadu, said, “As part of our commitment to passenger welfare, the NRC has refunded 512 passengers out of the 583 on board the affected train,” adding that efforts would be made to reach out to the remaining passengers and process their refunds.

On September 24, the NSIB declared that its investigation into the August 26, 2025, incident revealed that poor maintenance and a faulty track switch were key factors behind the incident. Preliminary findings, it said, revealed that several sleepers at the station that had been damaged in a previous incident were only patched instead of being properly repaired. As a result, the switch had to be manually operated and secured using a point clip, which was later discovered to be broken. This compromised the integrity of the track alignment, leading to the derailment.

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The NSIB report also noted that personnel of the NRC had received only initial training, with no formal refresher courses, raising further concerns about safety standards and preparedness. Operational and maintenance tools, including spare parts from the original equipment manufacturer, were reported to be largely inaccessible at the time of the incident.

Built by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) with nine stations on the route, the Abuja–Kaduna rail track is Nigeria’s first modern standard-gauge line. The 186km track links the Federal Capital Territory with Kaduna State. It has been operational since July 2016, significantly cutting travel time and boosting passenger and cargo movement. The passenger trains on the line could be operated at speeds of between 200km/h and 250km/h, reducing travel time between Abuja and Kaduna to one hour. Each passenger train can carry up to 5,000 commuters at a time.

At the height of insecurity in parts of the country, the Abuja–Kaduna passenger train became a safe alternative for road users from the 19 northern states. Passengers board the train from Abuja and thereafter proceed to their destinations after arriving in Kaduna. However, the poor services experienced since operations resumed in October this year have reduced the once busy route to what is now comparatively no more than skeletal service. The train now moves from Abuja to Kaduna, and vice versa, once a day. Wednesdays are reserved for maintenance.

Aside from the operational challenges identified in the NSIB report after the last derailment, there are public insinuations that the current inefficiencies on the Abuja–Kaduna passenger train service are a consequence of sabotage by the management of the NRC and, by extension, railway workers who allow touts to take over operations at railway stations. The decision by the railway authorities to look the other way on these matters only suggests complicity on their part.

With all the inadequacies that now characterise its operations, railway personnel yet receive their salaries promptly for generating output far below their usual threshold. It is unbecoming that since the NSIB released its report, nothing has been heard of any staff being sanctioned for the failures of poor maintenance and a faulty track switch that together led to the August derailment of the Abuja–Kaduna train.

Again, government failure to properly maintain and secure rail tracks is a gross indictment, with the direct consequence not only of de-marketing our national economic potential, but also of dissuading investors from granting credit facilities for the development of the country’s transport infrastructure.

Training and retraining of personnel should be prioritised by the NRC authorities in order to acquaint staff with innovative knowledge of modern railway operations. While we call on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to probe the activities of the NRC as they concern the Abuja–Kaduna passenger train service, Daily Trust calls on the government to privatise the operations of the NRC if that would be the only way to save train service along this economically viable route from collapse.

Some of the operational challenges include security concerns, which have been a major factor leading to service suspensions, as witnessed in 2021 and 2025, and the increased presence of security personnel. Although demand for the service has often been high, it has been affected by security concerns, even as passengers continue to view the train as a safer alternative to highway travel.