NRC suspends Port Harcourt–Aba train service for maintenance as FG assures Abuja–Kaduna line will resume in 10 days after derailment repairs.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has temporarily suspended train services on the Port Harcourt–Aba corridor to allow for routine maintenance works.
In a statement issued on Friday in Lagos, NRC Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, confirmed that the suspension is only temporary, with full operations scheduled to resume on September 9, 2025. He expressed regret over the inconvenience the disruption may cause commuters.
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Meanwhile, in a related development, the Minister of Transportation, Said Alkali, has assured Nigerians that the suspended Abuja–Kaduna train services would be restored within the next 10 days.
Alkali, who gave the assurance during an on-the-spot assessment of the accident site where a train derailed on August 26, noted that significant progress had been made in clearing the wreckage and restoring damaged tracks.
“At the time of the accident, the locomotive was pulling eight coaches. As you can see, four have already been removed,” the minister stated. He commended security operatives and railway staff for their round-the-clock efforts to ensure passenger safety and restore services as quickly as possible.
The minister emphasized that the NRC team has been working tirelessly to complete repairs and return the Abuja–Kaduna route to full functionality in record time.
With both the Port Harcourt–Aba and Abuja–Kaduna routes undergoing critical maintenance and restoration, the federal government has reassured commuters of improved efficiency and safety across Nigeria’s railway system.