Passengers narrate shocking experiences on Abuja-Kaduna train services

Some passengers aboard the Abuja-Kaduna rail line have narrated unpleasant and shocking experiences along the corridor, ranging from alleged ticket racketeering and overbooking to operational and mechanical failures.

The passengers who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja said they were left standing for more than three and a half hours on a journey designed to last not more than two hours.

More alarming were claims that attendants in the train were forced to pour buckets of water on an overheating locomotive engine mid-journey; each time plunging coaches into darkness as cooling systems and the lights in the coaches tripped off.

They expressed the disappointment that, the service meant to be a safer alternative to the reported insecurity on the Abuja-Kaduna highways have turned into a grueling ordeal.

Mr. Solomon Abiona told NAN that his ordeal began four days ahead of his planned journey from Abuja to Kaduna.

Abiona said he made repeated attempts to purchase tickets on the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) booking platform, but was told all seats were fully booked.

He explained that he needed five tickets for companions travelling with him to Kaduna for a ceremony, but was unable to secure even a single seat online.

With his guests unwilling to travel by road due to fears of kidnapping and attacks along the Abuja–Kaduna highway, Abiona said he sought alternatives.

“A regular passenger on the service told me that purchasing tickets online is a big challenge because the site is down most of the time, and when you are lucky enough to log in, the tickets are already fully booked.

“He sent me the number of one of the racketeers, an NRC official, who assured me of tickets upon payment of N6,000 per ticket instead of the official fare of N3,600.

“Eventually, the six of us were issued tickets that were not in our names,” he said.

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