Passengers stranded as Cargo train derails in Niger

Passengers travelling to the northern part of the country were stranded at Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Minna terminal after a cargo train was said to have derailed from its track.

The Cargo train which allegedly took off from Ebute Meta Lagos, Terminal almost one week ago could not continue its journey to Kano, its final destination after it derailed.

Passengers in other passenger trains coming from Lagos were also not able to continue with their journey after the derailed cargo train blocked the tracks.

One of the stranded passengers who gave his name as Idowu stated that the technicians are on-site to evacuate the Kano-bound Cargo train from the Minna terminal in order to allow room for free movement of trains conveying passengers.

“Our problems are compounded by the fact that instead of using a crane, the NRC technicians are using ‘jack’ to evacuate the Cargo train which is not only risky to the technicians due to its heavy nature but also the passengers.

“Imagine in this century Nigeria is still using a jack to evacuate heavy-duty trains like this instead of having a crane to do the job,” he said.

It was also gathered that many of the passengers who were returning to their stations after the Christmas and New Year holidays condemned the pace at which the evacuation was going.

Some of the passengers decried what they described as a lack of commitments on the part of the federal government in bringing rail transportation to function properly.

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