NSIB Blames Abuja -Kaduna Train Derailment On Poor Maintenance, Others
By Stella Enenche, Abuja
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has blamed the recent derailment of the Abuja – Kaduna train on some factors, including poor maintenance of equipment by the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).
The NSIB also identified lack of formal refresher training for personnel of NRC as being responsible for the incident involving the Kaduna-bound passenger train at Asham Station.
These claims were contained in a preliminary report the Bureau released on Wednesday.
In the report, the safety agency observed that personnel of the corporation had only “initial training”, making it difficult, even as some operational and maintenance equipment, including spare OEM parts, were not readily accessible.
The NSIB report indicated that the ill-fated train consisted of eight passenger coaches and two locomotives, with one positioned at the front and the other at the rear.
It further noted that the train departed Idu Station, Abuja, at 09:45 hour on a scheduled northbound service and made a scheduled stop at Kubwa Station at 10:04 h to pick up additional passengers.
At 10:45 hour, the train departed Kubwa Station for Asham Station en route to Rigasa Station.
It admitted that the train drivers were qualified to operate the train.
That the train was operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), which also managed the track.
The train, however, derailed shortly after passing the track switch point at Asham Station.
The findings showed the following: “The forward locomotive and seven adjoining coaches derailed;
“The occurrence was the second derailment at Asham Station within 13 months;
“Some sleepers at Asham Station that had been damaged in the previous occurrence were only patched.
12.The Asham Station automatic crossing point switch mechanism was found unserviceable;
“The switched point was manually operated and locked with the point clip
The point clip was broken.
“NRC personnel had only initial training and no formal refresher training. Operational and maintenance equipment, including spare OEM parts, were not readily accessible.Some instruments remained deferred and unserviceable, such as CCTV cameras and clocks”.
To forestall future occurrences , the bureau made the following safety recommendations:
“The Nigerian Railway Corporation should ensure that all sleepers affected by derailments are replaced to guarantee track stability and prevent further derailments;
“The Nigerian Railway Corporation should consider replacing all point switches at Asham Station and along the Abuja–Kaduna route with Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts to ensure reliability and safety in switch operations, thereby reducing the risk of accidents;
“The Nigerian Railway Corporation should consider addressing all areas where cautionary advisories are issued to train drivers, in order to enhance operational safety and minimize the risk of accidents.
“The Nigerian Railway Corporation should provide formal refresher training for NRC personnel to ensure staff remain up to date with safety procedures and operational best practices.
“The Nigerian Railway Corporation should restore all defective equipment such as communication equipment, Closed-Circuit Television cameras, clocks, and other critical instruments, to Original Equipment Manufacturer standards, as they are vital for effective monitoring, safety, and operational efficiency”.
On next steps, the NSIB made a strong case for technical inspection of the turnout/switch mechanism at Asham Station, examination of track alignment and infrastructure condition, inspection of locomotives and derailed coaches (brakes, wheels, bogies), as well as review of crew statements (driver, assistant driver, conductors, guards).
