September 24, (THEWILL) — Engineers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) have begun a comprehensive safety and infrastructure assessment on the Abuja-Kaduna railway corridor.
The assessment is being carried out in order to ensure that all aspects of the corridor meet the highest standard of safety, durability and reliability before operations resume following the derailment of a passenger train on August 26.
NRC Managing Director, Kayode Opeifa, who disclosed the development in a statement, said the assessment phase includes a thorough evaluation of the repaired section and other critical infrastructure along the route.
“The corporation also confirmed that its team of engineers has successfully re-railed and recovered all coaches and locomotives involved in the incident. These assets have since been moved to designated workshops for comprehensive assessment and further technical work. Our team of engineers has successfully repaired the main line to a level that allows us to safely resume operations. During this period, the second line will remain out of use until all necessary repairs are fully completed”, he said.
Opeifa emphasised that the resumption of operations will only take place after all necessary technical inspections, tests and certifications are concluded.
“Safety remains our top priority”, he stressed, as the Corporation reaffirmed its determination to restore public confidence in rail services.
“On passenger welfare, we confirm that out of the 618 passengers on board the affected train, 22 sustained injuries and are at various stages of recovery. We have successfully contacted 512 passengers, while 71 are yet to be reached due to various reasons ranging from not responding, wrong numbers and unavailability. We have also completed an in-house investigation into the incident, with management accepting all recommendations of the internal investigation team.
“While awaiting the outcome of the committee set up by the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, as well as the findings of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), we wish to state clearly that our investigation points to human error – excessive speeding and misapplication of the emergency braking system”, Opeifa concluded.
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