The management of the Nigeria Railway Corporation has announced the derailment of the Warri-Itakpe train, which immediately halted rail services along the corridor.
This occurred exactly four days after service resumed on the same route.
This was made known in a statement released by the NRC on Sunday.
The Warri-Itakpe train is currently the longest of the three modern trains (The two other modern trains are Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna), with over 3ookm.
PUNCH Online reports 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.
It also reported on October 26, that the NRC announced the official resumption of the Warri–Itakpe Train Service.
A statement from the management of the Corporation made available to journalists in Warri, Delta State, last Sunday noted that the official resumption of the train service was scheduled for Wednesday, October 29, 2025, after its suspension.
However, four days after services resumed on the route, the corporation halted the operations due to a fresh derailment.
In the Sunday 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.
According to the statement, preliminary investigations indicate that the incident may have been caused by suspected track vandalism.
Opeifa’s statement partly read, “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.”
He added, “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.”
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that more than 188 rail-related incidents have been recorded between 2020 and 2025, many of which are directly linked to vandalism by scavengers and organised criminal syndicates
