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Following a query issued by Ministry of Transportation to the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation, Engr. Fidet Okhiria on the remote cause of accident involving a School bus owned by Pledge Private Schools on February 20, 2024 at power line temporary railway level crossing, the management of the Corporation has barred motorists from plying the Level-Crossing pending outcome of investigation.
Recall that 3 people including a school bus driver and two students of “Pledge Private Schools”, Sola Martin’s Street, Olaniyi, narrowly escaped death at Power line temporary railway level crossing in Ogun State when an Ibadan to Lagos bound passenger train rammed into the bus that was stucked at the level crossing due to the bad state of the Level-Crossing.
According to query signed by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, the managing director was asked to explain the remote cause of the accident and how to avert future reoccurrence.
Based on this premise motorists residing at Olaniyi street and Agbado-Crossing now ply the Adegbola temporary railway Level- Crossing with similar features of the power line level crossing where some vehicles often got stocked with drivers struggling to manoeuvre due to the steep nature of the road linking the standard/narrow gauge railway line.
Delving deeper into how the accident happened an eye witness account said, “One of the tyres of a school bus belonging to PLEDGE Private Schools was recently stucked by a protruded standard gauge rail track at power line temporary railway level crossing due to a deep gully beside the track
“When driver of the bus noticed that a train was approaching while struggling to drive past, he quickly jumped out of the bus alongside the two students inside with the assistance of passersby
“The train driver which just departed Lateef Jakande Terminal at Agbado after blarring its horn several times rammed into the stationary bus before dumping it beside the track some few Kilometres away from scene of collision”.
It was also gathered that the accident could have been avoided if officials of department of Civil Engineering (of NRC) saddled with responsibility of monitoring and maintaining the tracks especially at railway level crossings had done their job.
When contacted via a text message, Lagos district manager of the corporation Engr. Augustine Arase did not reply to enquiries about the accident and next line of action.
