Abuja-Kaduna train breaks down twice in two weeks

Fear gripped passengers on Friday when the train they boarded from Abuja to Kaduna broke down close to Jere, a community which has recorded a series of kidnappings.

Friday’s incident was the second in two weeks.

According to DAILY TRUST, the train experienced system failure at the station before it broke down.

The newspaper said though an official of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) said it will take “two minutes” for the fault to be rectified, passengers were stranded for about 20 minutes.

The police officers who were on the train reportedly alighted from it to secure the passengers.

A passenger of the train who was not named urged the NRC to work against having a repeat of system failure.

He also suggested the deployment of more security personnel to guard the passengers.

“We are lucky that it did not happen at night. I pray that this is urgently looked into because this is the safest means of getting to Kaduna from Abuja,” he said.

Another passenger said when the train broke down, what came to his mind was “kidnappers”.

“This is the second time that I’m experiencing this. The first time we spent hours but today (Friday) we only spent 20 minutes or so,” he said.

“Immediately it happened, what came to  my mind were kidnappers.”

Although President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Abuja-Kaduna rail services on July 26, 2016, its construction began under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.