Passengers trapped as Abuja-Kaduna train breaks down

Hundred of passengers on Abuja/Kaduna train are currently stranded in Dutse, Kaduna, as the train developed faults few minutes into the journey.

Newsmen report that five minutes after the train departed the Rigasa Station in Kaduna, it developed a mechanical fault.

Twice, the train stopped before getting to Dutse, where it finally broke down.

Midat Joseph, an Assistant National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who is one of the passengers, said the train developed fault around 7:am.

“ I left my house as early as 5:am to join the 6:40am train but unfortunately I have been trapped here in this forest. This is not the first time I will be experiencing this mess,” he said.

Another passenger, said he had similar experience on Saturday, saying they spent six hours to get to Abuja.

“This is unfortunate. On Saturday, we spent five hours from Abuja to Kaduna. We left Abuja 6:pm but we did not get to Kaduna until 11:pm,” he said.

An engineer of the NRC, who addressed the passengers, told them that it would take them two hours to fix the train.

“We are very sorry, the locomotive is faulty. We have contacted the Idu Train Station for another locomotive. It would take them two hours to be here, “ he said.

The passengers were finally evacuated at 10:20am.