The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended train services along the Warri-Itakpe rail line for 72 hours due to a number of technical concerns, including a train engine failure.
This was announced on Thursday.
The NRC said disruption began about 1:38 PM and impacted both the 8:00 AM departure from Warri and the 2:00 PM train from Itakpe.
Emergency recovery protocols were quickly activated, however engine problems caused a setback.
Following the incident, NRC said it quickly made arrangements for all passengers to be safely evacuated by road with sufficient security.
The impacted train’s passengers were led to waiting automobiles around 500 meters away from the track.
The corporation said some passengers made their own travel arrangements before official recovery trucks arrived.
With the help of this temporary suspension, the technical staff will be able to carry out a thorough audit, fix any problems found, and bring back dependable and secure service.
NRC said “All customers who have tickets for the impacted services are eligible for a complete refund or, if they so choose, a revalidation for travel in the future”.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation said it takes full responsibility and is actively working to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.
