The Nigerian Railway Corporation has set up an incident desk to handle enquiries and provide regular updates on the derailed Abuja-Kaduna Train Service.

The managing director of NRC, Kayode Opeifa, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos.

Mr Opeifa noted that the regular update would be achieved through dedicated phone lines: Queen 0703 645 2228, Lilian 0703 199 3211, and Abubakar – 0803 659 3212.

He noted that so far, the corporation had been able to reach 510 out of the 583 passengers listed on the train manifest.

”NRC wishes to inform the general public on the progress made in the management of passenger tracing, the injured, recovering its rolling stock, and restoration of the tracks following the derailment incident involving the Abuja-Kaduna-bound train.

”It will be recalled that on August 26, the Abuja-Kaduna train service experienced a major derailment involving a locomotive and several coaches between Kubwa and Asham stations.

”As of Tuesday, seven days after the incident, NRC engineers have successfully recovered a locomotive and four coaches (out of two locomotives and eight DMU coaches), which have been railed to Idu Station for assessment using the newly constructed 100-metre track off the damaged line,” he said.

The NRC boss added that the site preparation had commenced for the deployment of heavy equipment to recover the remaining four coaches and an additional locomotive.

”A total of 618 persons were onboard the ill-fated train, comprising 583 passengers, 15 NRC crew members, one medical personnel, eight cleaners, and 11 catering staff. All individuals were safely evacuated.

“Unfortunately, while seven were reported as critically injured, passenger tracing conducted by the NRC medical team established that 20 persons sustained various degrees of injury, with nine reported as critical. The corporation takes full responsibility for the incident and is actively supporting those affected,” he added.

Mr Opeifa expressed appreciation to the security agencies deployed to the accident site for their vital role in ensuring a smooth, safe, and disruption-free recovery process. He also acknowledged the media as a critical partner and extended sincere gratitude for their continued support during the challenging period.

”The management appreciates the visit of the Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Alkali, who inspected the site and commended the recovery efforts of the NRC team.

”The NRC wishes to reassure its esteemed passengers and the general public that every necessary measure is being taken to restore full train operations in the shortest possible time. Passenger safety and service reliability remain the corporation’s topmost priorities,” he further said.

(NAN)