The Nigerian Railway Corporation has announced that normal commercial operations will resume on the Warri-Itakpe Train Service (WITS) from Monday, 8th July 2024.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the train operating the WITS route had derailed, forcing the NRC to suspend normal operations on the route.
An NRC source, who refused to be named, had disclosed to TNG that efforts were ongoing to restore the affected track to normal traffic.
In a notice on its booking website, announcing the resumption of normal operations, NRC noted that the derailment was as a result of “an unexpected fault”.
“Due to an unexpected fault, train operations are suspended for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. Operations will resume on Monday, July 8th, 2024,” the NRC notice reads.
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No casualty in Abraka train derailment – Police
Meanwhile, the Police Command in Delta State has confirmed the derailment of the train plying the Warri-Itakpe route but said that no casualties were recorded.
The Spokesman for the command, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident in a cellphone interaction with newsmen in Warri on Friday.
Edafe said, “It is true, no death, no casualty was recorded in the incident.”
A passenger onboard, who craved anonymity, said that the unfortunate incident occurred on Thursday evening at Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of the State.
The passenger further said that the train was traveling from Itakpe in Kogi to Ujevwu in Delta when one of the coaches derailed from the rail track very close to the Abraka train station.
“The incident occurred at about 7:15 pm, few metres to the Abraka train station. I could not proceed with my journey.
“Some passengers jumped through the doors while the train was slowing down movement, dragging the remaining coaches along with the derailed one.
“Some passengers sustained minor injuries, resulting from the stampede that ensued,” the source further said.