The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has said that its investigation into the recent Abuja-Kaduna train derailment at Asham Station has revealed that poor maintenance and a faulty track switch were key factors behind the incident.
According to the preliminary findings, several sleepers at the station that had been damaged in a previous incident were only patched instead of being properly repaired. Investigators also found that the automatic switch mechanism at the station’s crossing point was unserviceable at the time of the derailment, which is the second to occur at the same station within 13 months.
As a result, the switch had to be manually operated and secured using a point clip, which was later discovered to be broken. This compromised the integrity of the track alignment, leading to the derailment. The report also noted that personnel of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) had received only initial training with no formal refresher courses, raising further concerns about safety standards and preparedness.
Operational and maintenance tools, including spare parts from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), were reported to be largely inaccessible at the time of the incident.
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