By Ovie Okpare
The Nigerian Railway Corporation on Friday announced the suspension of rail service on the Ujevwu (Udu) to Itakpe (Kogi) after a train derailed along the corridor on Thursday evening enroute Delta State.
The train was said to have derailed while returning from Itakpe in Kogi State to Ujevwu in Udu when it suddenly derailed into a nearby bush leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
The accident occurred at about 7.15pm.
It was learnt that the train also developed fault on Thursday morning while travelling to Itakpe, but the issue was almost immediately fixed by engineers on board.
The train also arrive Ujevwu station at about 11pm on Wednesday as against the 7:30pm it was expected to reach its destination from Itakpe.
Passengers who ply the route recalled observing that the train had been wobbling before Thursday incident along the Edo/Delta corridor.
In Thursday’s incident, a passenger disclosed that the derailment was not as a result of vandalisation of the tracks.
Also, passengers who had thronged the Ujevwu terminal station to board were left stranded on Friday when they were told that operation has temporarily been suspended.
One of the passengers, who shared his pains after missing his trip to Abuja, disclosed that officials on broke the news of the development to them at about 9am on Friday.
The Ujevwu-Itakpe train has suffered several derailments owing to third person interference or mechanical faults. In many instances, the train breaks down in middle of the forest leaving passengers stranded and helpless.
However, in a statement on Friday, NRC said suspended train operations on the route due to an “unexpected fault”.
The statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) apologised to customers for the disappointment the suspension had caused them.
Although NRC did not state when it will resume service on the route, NIGER DELTA TODAY Online learnt from official of the Ujevwu rail station that operation will commenced next week Monday.
The statement read, “Due to an unexpected fault, train operations are suspended for today. We apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.”
