Passengers worry over breakdowns as free train service begins

Train passengers along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor have called on the federal government to beef up maintenance of locomotives, as well as security and screening at stations as the free train ride initiative by the federal government commenced on Friday.

Our correspondents report that the much-anticipated nationwide free train ride announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ease transportation costs during the festive season got off on a shaky start on Friday when the Kaduna-Abuja train broke down near Jere, sparking fear and anxiety among passengers.

A source revealed that the locomotive had exhibited signs of electrical problems even before their departure, but despite this, he said it was deployed for the free train service.

The breakdown, reportedly caused by an electric fault, occurred about 20 kilometers from Katari, a location infamous for the March 28, 2022 attack in which over 200 passengers were kidnapped by armed bandits.

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Abdullazeez Gambo, a resident of Kaduna working in Abuja, while narrating his experience, said he experienced a similar breakdown last week while returning from Abuja.

According to him, the train broke down near Jere but was fixed in less than an hour before they proceeded. Gambo noted that he used to board the train weekly, but within this year alone, he had experienced locomotive breakdown twice.   

Our correspondent who was at the Kubwa train station, reports that the first batch of passengers that took off from Rigasa train station in Kaduna arrived the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) around 11:30am.

Speaking to Weekend Trust, a passenger, Grace Nweze, said the locomotives were not in good shape as the one she boarded from Kaduna to Abuja had consistent stopovers.

“Today, we were at the train station from 7am and we arrived at almost 11:30am. The train stopped about six times, which is not good for our safety,” she said.

On the issue of security checks at the train station, she noted, “People were just coming into the train and it almost led to a stampede; they even broke one of the doors of the train. There should be more security checks,” she added.

Another passenger, Isa Salihu, raised concerns over security at the train station in Rigasa, Kaduna.

“In Nigeria, anything that is free comes with its own problem. The initiative for free trains was a good one but the federal government should look out to beef up security because what we have seen today is not too good.

 “We are raising these concerns because we don’t know who is who on the train,” he said.

A former senator and public commentator, Shehu Sani, had expressed concerns over the federal government’s free train service between Kaduna and Abuja during the yuletide season.

Speaking in a post via his X handle, Sani criticised the initiative for allegedly enabling thuggery, adding that it has been mismanaged and overrun by thugs who have taken advantage of the opportunity without genuine travel needs.

“The federal government’s Kaduna-Abuja free train ride is a good gesture that has not helped those travelling for Christmas but provided an opportunity for thugs to take over the station and the train seats, just travelling to and from Abuja without purpose,” Sani posted.

But while addressing the concerns of passengers, the acting managing director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Ben Iloanusi, said the corporation would take steps in addressing security concerns raised by passengers.

Speaking further, he revealed that “The free ride will accommodate 20,000 passengers on a daily basis. The federal government is estimating to provide free ride to 340,000 passengers before the initiative expires in the first week of January,”

He added that the ride would roll smoothly in the five locations, namely, Abuja-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan, Warri-Itakpe, Port Harcourt/Aba and Lagos Mass Transit.

Asked what the NRC is doing to tackle racketeering, he said: “The portal has been up and running and measures have been put in place to prevent people from buying multiple tickets.”

Weekend Trust reports that the free train service, which runs from December 20, 2024 to January 5, 2025, is part of measures approved by President Tinubu to ease the financial burden of transportation during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.