Hundred of passengers on Abuja/Kaduna train were earlier today, Monday 28th of July, stranded in Dutse, Kaduna, after the train developed faults few minutes into the journey, it has emerged.
According to DailyTrust, the train developed a mechanical problem just about five minutes after it took off from Rigasa. The train was heading for Abuja.
It was gathered that the train previously stopped twice before getting to Dutse, where it finally broke down.
Midat Joseph, secretary of the Union of Journalists (NUJ), told the publication the train developed fault around 7:00 am.
He said;
I left my house as early as 5:00 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.
Another passenger who did not give his name said he had similar experience on Saturday, saying they spent six hours to get to Abuja.
He noted;
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.
Meanwhile, an engineer with Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) apologised to the stranded passengers over the incident.
The engineer said they had contacted the train station in Idu in federal capital territory (FCT) for another locomotive to be sent so that the passengers could be conveyed to their destination.
He stated;
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.
The passengers were finally evacuated at 10:20am, according to the publication.
Many passengers commuting between Abuja and Kaduna use the train because of kidnapping on the road.
Although cases of abduction in that region have become less intense in recent, the train is still the preferred choice of passengers who go to Abuja from Kaduna and vice versa.
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