The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has confirmed that a rear coach collision occurred on the Abuja–Kaduna line near Asham on Monday, injuring some passengers.
The disclosure was made in a statement signed by Dr. Kayode Opeifa, Managing Director of the NRC.
According to the agency, the incident was caused by a mechanical failure in the rear coach coupling, though no fatalities were reported.
What they are saying
The NRC explained that the incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. due to a mechanical problem with the rear coach coupling. Injured passengers were promptly taken to nearby medical facilities.
- “The Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) wishes to confirm that an avoidable train incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. today near Asham, involving a rear locomotive and a passenger coach. Preliminary reports indicate that the rear locomotive made contact with the rear immediately next to it (rear) due to a coupling issue.”
Emergency response teams and technical staff were deployed to manage the situation, while the Safety Investigation Bureau (SIB) is investigating the cause.
The NRC said it is reviewing procedures to prevent similar incidents but did not disclose how long train services were disrupted or the total number of affected passengers.
The agency has assured that further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.
Get up to speed
The Abuja–Kaduna rail line has experienced several incidents over the years, highlighting safety challenges on the corridor.
- In August 2025, a Kaduna-bound train derailed near Asham shortly after departing Abuja.
- In May 2024, some coaches derailed at Jeremy Station on the Kaduna–Abuja corridor, although all passengers arrived safely.
- Despite these incidents, passenger demand on the line has grown, prompting the NRC to expand services from March 6, 2026.
Under the revised timetable, Idu–Rigasa passengers have three trips on Fridays, Sundays, Saturdays, and Mondays, and two trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
On Fridays and Sundays, trains depart Idu at 7:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., returning from Rigasa at 11:30 a.m. On Saturdays and Mondays, departures from Rigasa are at 7:15 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., returning from Idu at 11:00 a.m. All services stop at Kubwa.
What you should know
- In Q1 2025, 929,553 passengers generated N1.95 billion, marking a 37.65% increase in ridership and 37.36% growth in revenue compared with Q1 2024.
- Q2 saw 989,793 travellers generating N2.28 billion, reflecting a 43.60% rise in passengers and 35.36% increase in revenue year-on-year.
- In Q3, 1,028,839 passengers produced N1.94 billion, continuing robust growth with 38.43% passenger growth and 14.44% revenue growth compared with Q3 2024.
- Q4 recorded 940,476 passengers generating N1.60 billion, showing a 9.32% decline in ridership and a 16.30% fall in revenue compared with Q4 2024.
Overall, while the first three quarters performed strongly, a slowdown in Q4 moderated annual growth in passenger revenue.
