A 55-year-old driver escaped without injury after a train rammed into his Honda car at the PWD railway crossing in Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, October 9, 2026. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said the train was heading towards Agege and hit the car, registration number EKY 902 JT, which was extensively damaged.
LASTMA said its operatives and security personnel rescued the driver and cleared the wrecked car from the tracks, so the train could continue to Agege. Traffic around the PWD area stayed heavy after the incident. A blog reported that bystanders helped the man out of the car, and that he walked away on his own.
What is known and what is not (the cause question)
LASTMA said the wrecked car was handed to security personnel for investigation into the circumstances of the collision. The reports do not say why the car was on the track, whether warning signals were working, or whether a barrier was in place. They also do not name the train operator. The cause has not been established, and the driver should not be blamed before the investigation says what happened.
A crossing with a troubled record (past crashes at PWD and elsewhere)
A level crossing is a place where a road crosses a railway line. The PWD crossing has seen serious accidents. In March 2023, a train rammed a Lagos State Government staff bus at the PWD/Shogunle crossing in Ikeja. At least six people died, according to a later report. The state government then filed manslaughter and grievous harm charges against the bus driver, who allegedly ignored warning signals before crossing. Premium Times reported that the Lagos Ministry of Justice found a prima facie case against the driver, which means that there was enough evidence to justify a trial. We did not find the result of that case.
In December 2025, a train struck a Toyota Hiace bus on the tracks at Arena, Oshodi, and no one was injured. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said the preliminary cause was reckless driving by the bus driver. In 2018, two people died when a train hit a commuter bus at the Agege Pen Cinema area, after a parked bus blocked another bus on the line.
These cases show a pattern. Collisions often involve vehicles stuck or stopped on the track, and drivers who try to beat the train. They also show that some drivers face charges, but the outcomes are hard to find.
What can lead a car onto the tracks (general causes)
Heavy traffic can leave vehicles queued across a crossing when a train approaches. Drivers may try to cross in a hurry, or may not see or hear the train. Warning lights, bells and barriers can fail, or may be missing. Some crossings are crowded with traders and pedestrians, which makes movement harder. A train needs a long distance to stop, so once a vehicle is on the track, the driver of the train often cannot avoid it.
We do not know which of these, if any, applied here.
Delays, damage and danger (effects)
The direct effect on the driver is the loss of his car and the shock of the crash. For commuters, a collision stops or slows trains and adds to traffic on roads already crowded, as happened around PWD. For the rail operator, it means delays and an inspection of the train.
At the wider level, repeated crashes weaken public confidence in the safety of rail and road crossings. Each one could have ended in deaths, as the 2023 crash did.
Making crossings safer (possible solutions)
Authorities can install and maintain automatic barriers, lights and alarms at busy crossings, and station trained staff where needed. Cameras can help record what happens and enforce rules. LASTMA and the police can keep crossings clear of parked vehicles and traders, and prosecute drivers who ignore signals.
For the longest-term fix, the busiest crossings can be replaced with bridges or underpasses, so that roads and rail do not meet at one level. Public education can remind drivers to stop, look and listen, and never to stop on the tracks. LASTMA’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, urged motorists not to cross when a train is approaching or moving. The investigation should also be published so that lessons can be shared.
A lucky escape should lead to action (our view)
We are glad the driver survived. The photographs show how severe the impact was, and the outcome could have been far worse, as it was at the same crossing in 2023.
We do not yet know whether the driver, the signals or something else caused the collision, and we avoid assigning blame without facts. But every close call at this crossing is a warning. We urge the Lagos State Government and the rail authorities to share the findings of the investigation, check the safety equipment at PWD and other busy crossings, and consider longer-term solutions. Drivers, for their part, should treat every crossing as dangerous, and never take a chance on a train.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
