News
Train Derails In Minna, Leaves Passengers Stranded
Hundreds of passengers on their way to the country’s northern regions have been stranded at the Nigerian Railway Corporation’s Minna terminal after a cargo train derailed from its track.
The cargo train, which left Lagos about a week ago, was unable to continue to its final destination of Kano after it derailed.
Passengers on other passenger trains departing from Lagos were unable to travel because the detailed cargo train had blocked the tracks.
According to Idowu, one of the stranded passengers, the technicians who were on the scene to evacuate the Kano bound cargo train from the Minna terminal to allow free movement of passenger trains, were seen using jacks instead of a crane for the evacuation.
“Our problems are exacerbated by the fact that, instead of using a crane, NRC technicians are using a ‘jack’ to evacuate the cargo train, which is dangerous not only to the technicians but also to the passengers due to its heaviness.”
“Imagine that in the twenty-first century, Nigeria uses a jack to evacuate heavy-duty trains like this instead of a crane. “What if the train, which is on the verge of collapsing, falls on any of the mechanics or engineers, or even the passengers?” he wondered.
The majority of passengers returning to their base after the Christmas and New Year holidays criticized the evacuation’s speed.
In an interview, some passengers decried what they called the federal government’s lack of commitment to restoring rail transportation to normal operation.
