Chinese Supplier Blames “Bad Luck” For Continuous Breakdown Of Locomotives

The China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) has blamed bad luck for the malfunctioning locomotives it built for Nigerians recently.

Recall that over the last two weeks, at least three passenger trains had broken down after suffering mechanical failures in quick succession leaving hundreds stranded along the dangerous Abuja-Kaduna tracks.

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The after-sales manager of the corporation, Su Zhiguang, told Peoples Gazette that the trains, which arrived in Nigeria in January, were certified ready for deployment after a test run in China.

When asked why the trains (CDD5c2 2701 and CDD5c2 2702 models) were frequently breaking down only a few months after they were commissioned, the CRCC engineer said it maybe bad luck.

“It’s hard to say, maybe bad luck because the trains were newly built and certified okay by our company in China before they were sent to Nigeria in January.

“In my many years of experience in after-sales service, this situation is the first I’m seeing.

“2701 and 2702 locomotives are produced by our company (CRCC). In China and other countries, we don’t have so many problems (mechanical faults). We’ve built trains that are still under our warranty and functioning for several years. There shouldn’t be too many problems with new locomotives,” Mr. Zhiguang said.

The new CDD5c2 2701 locomotive is still inoperative. Officials say the train was undergoing repairs due to a turbocharger failure, a problem they said was not common amongst trains delivered to the previous administration.

An official at the Abuja rail terminal who pled anonymity said;

“We’ve been using trains acquired under the Jonathan administration for about four years now and they are still fully operational, but we really can’t tell much about the new locomotives acquired by the present administration.”

Mr. Zhiguang, however, said that CRCC may extend the warranty window for the trains’ maintenance as compensation for the frequent mechanical glitches.