By Demi Adeniyi
The preliminary report on the derailment involving train number AK 1, operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), with locomotive registration CDD5c2 2701 was on Thursday released by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, said the report represents early findings and is subject to further analysis, adding that the final report will present detailed conclusions and additional recommendations to enhance rail safety in Nigeria.
The accident took place at Km 49, Kubwa–Asham section, Kagarko Local Government Area, Kaduna State, on 26 August 2025.
The initial findings of the accident investigative body show that some sleepers at Asham Station that had been damaged in the previous occurrence 13 months ago, before the August 26, 2025, accident, were only patched and not replaced, just as the Asham Station automatic crossing point switch mechanism was found unserviceable.
The NSIB noted that the switch point was manually operated and locked with the point clip 14. The point clip was broken. NRC personnel had only initial training and no formal refresher training.
Part of the findings was that operational and maintenance equipment, including spare Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts, was not readily accessible, with some instruments remaining deferred and unserviceable, such as Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV cameras and clocks.
The NSIB recommended that the NRC ensure that all sleepers affected by derailments are replaced to guarantee track stability and prevent further derailments.
It recommended that the corporation 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.
It further recommended that the NRC consider addressing all areas where cautionary advisories are issued to train drivers, to enhance operational safety and minimize the risk of accidents.
Equally important, it called on the agency to provide formal refresher training for NRC personnel to ensure staff remain up to date with safety procedures and operational best practices.
It called on the NRC as part of its recommendation to 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, examination of track alignment and infrastructure condition
The passenger train, which departed Idu Station, Abuja, at 09:45 h en route to Rigasa Station, Kaduna, was carrying 618 persons on board, including NRC crew members, security personnel, and service staff.
At approximately 11:09 h, shortly after passing a manually operated switch point at Asham Station, the forward locomotive and adjoining coaches derailed and overturned. Twenty-one passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries, while no fatalities were recorded.
