Passengers Report Ordeal on Abuja-Kaduna Rail Service

Passengers traveling on the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor reported a harrowing experience characterized by overcrowding, ticketing issues, and mechanical failures. Mr. Solomon Abiona described his ordeal, which began four days prior when he attempted to purchase tickets for himself and companions for a ceremony in Kaduna.

Despite multiple attempts, he found tickets fully booked online and faced challenges with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) ticketing system. On the day of travel, he and his companions received tickets without seat numbers and were instructed to board occupied seats, leading to chaos.

Mr. Ibrahim Bulu noted that the situation was exacerbated by a high influx of travelers and a reduction in daily train services. Chief John Fabunmi expressed disappointment over the service, highlighting mechanical failures that forced attendants to pour water over the engine to cool it down.

Passengers voiced their dissatisfaction, calling for NRC to increase daily trips and improve service standards, as the current experience was deemed unsafe and inadequate compared to rail systems in other countries.