Analysis of railway accidents in Nigeria: a decade of insights

Abstract

This study provides insights into the patterns and dynamics of railway accidents in Nigeria over the past decade. Findings indicate that Nigeria's rail network experiences fewer but more severe accidents than the United States of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK), with significantly higher fatalities and injuries per million train kilometers 92% and up to 95% more, respectively, in 2023. A top-down approach was employed to establish a risk tree, revealing six railway accident categories recorded over the last decade. The established risk tree could provide a framework for conducting the rail network's comprehensive safety risk assessment. Finally, a root cause analysis of railway intrusion accidents, the most occurring railway accident category in the Nigerian rail network, was conducted. Six immediate and eleven underlying causes (UC) of railway intrusion accidents were identified. About 62% of all intrusion accidents were caused by negligence of road users. Several actionable preventive measures (PM) have been proposed for each identified UC based on best practices in developed rail networks. Infrastructure upgrades and safety awareness campaigns have been identified as the potentially most effective PM for railway intrusion accidents in Nigeria.