Exactly four days after Warri-Itakpe train service resumed, the management of the Nigeria Railway Corporation(NRC) on Sunday announced the suspension of service after the train derailed along the corridor.
The NRC announced the suspension through a statement issued on Sunday.
Recall that before the unfortunate Kaduna-Abuja accident on August 26, the NRC had suspended the Warri-Itakpe train service since August 2, due to a series of breakdowns and other technical glitches.
Recall that on October 26, the corporation announced the official resumption of the Warri–Itakpe Train Service.
Last Sunday, through a statement issued by the management of the Corporation to newsmen in Warri, Delta State capital , said that the official resumption of the train service was scheduled for Wednesday, October 29, 2025, after its suspension.
Four days after services resumed on the route, the corporation stopped the operations due to a fresh derailment.
According to the statement signed by the Managing Director of the NRC, Kayode Opeifa, the corporation noted that the train derailment, which occurred at exactly 7:30 pm on Saturday, involved two out of the seven coaches of the train at Kilometre 212+8m, Agbor, Delta State.
Opeifa said in the statement that preliminary investigations indicate that the incident may have been caused by suspected track vandalism.
“We are pleased to confirm that all passengers on board were safely evacuated to Agbor, and everyone has been fully accounted for. No casualties or injuries were recorded.
“Our recovery team, supported by security personnel, has been at the site since last night, carrying out recovery operations. These efforts are progressing steadily and are expected to be completed soon.”
“As a precautionary measure, train services on the corridor have been temporarily suspended today to enable a comprehensive security and safety audit of the track and related infrastructure.
“We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause our valued passengers and the general public. Normal operations will resume as soon as it is verified safe to do so,” NRC MD said.
The Warri-Itakpe train is the longest of the three modern trains (The two other modern trains are Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna), with over 3ookm.
