The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has temporarily suspended operations on the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) due to operational exigencies and technical advice from its engineers.
The announcement was made in a statement issued on Wednesday by the corporation’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Unyimadu.
According to the NRC, the suspension is intended to allow for critical operational assessments aimed at improving safety, reliability and service delivery along the corridor.
“The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says it has temporarily suspended the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) due to operational exigencies and technical advice from its engineers,” the statement said.
The corporation explained that the decision followed technical recommendations from its engineering team and assured passengers that efforts were underway to restore operations as quickly as possible.
Unyimadu expressed regret over the inconvenience the suspension may cause passengers and stakeholders, adding that commuters and intending travellers would be informed before the end of the week about the date for the resumption of services.
The NRC reaffirmed its commitment to providing safe, efficient and customer-friendly rail transport services nationwide.
The suspension comes shortly after the Federal Government approved a temporary 50% reduction in fares across all NRC passenger train services to ease transportation costs during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration period.
The discounted fares took effect on May 26 and are expected to remain in place until June 1, 2026. Passengers who purchased tickets before the announcement at full rates were advised that they would receive rebates valid for future travel within the promotional period.
Despite the suspension of the Warri–Itakpe route, the NRC said schedules on other operational rail corridors remain unchanged.
History of disruptions
The Warri–Itakpe rail line has experienced repeated disruptions in recent years due to technical and operational issues.
In July 2025, the corporation suspended services on the route over unforeseen technical problems that affected operations for two days. Earlier in April 2025, train services were halted for 72 hours following multiple engine failures on the standard gauge corridor.
Another suspension occurred in February 2025 before operations later resumed on February 22.
The corridor also witnessed a derailment incident in July 2024 near Ujevwu in Delta State, which forced a temporary shutdown for maintenance, although no casualties were recorded.
Rail operations across several corridors in Nigeria have continued to face challenges ranging from locomotive failures and derailments to washouts and collisions.
