The Kaduna–Kano Standard Gauge Railway has reached 90 per cent completion and is scheduled for inauguration on December 3, 2026, while the Kano–Katsina–Maradi railway project has attained 70 per cent completion, according to the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
The council said the progress represented a significant increase from the respective completion levels of below 30 per cent and 5 per cent when President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.
The latest developments followed an inspection of the projects by a Federal Government delegation led by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Funso Adebiyi, on the President’s directive.
During the inspection, the team conducted a train test run from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano, assessing the completed track infrastructure, railway alignment, drainage systems, embankment protection and other construction works.
In a statement on Sunday, APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Dele Alake, disclosed that Tinubu had directed the immediate resolution of outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis to facilitate the completion of the railway corridor between Abuja and Kano.
“The President has also directed that all outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis should be resolved immediately so that the railway corridor from Abuja to Kano will be completed,” Mr. Alake said.
The 203-kilometre Kaduna–Zaria–Kano railway is an extension of the existing Abuja–Kaduna Standard Gauge Railway and is expected to establish a continuous rail connection between Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano.
The campaign council said the 190-kilometre Jaji–Kano section of the Kaduna–Kano project, alongside a 250-kilometre section of the Kano–Maradi railway covering Dawanu, Kano, Kazaure, Daura and Katsina, would be inaugurated on December 3.
The 400-kilometre Kano–Katsina–Maradi railway, which extends towards the Niger Republic, is expected to strengthen cross-border trade and passenger movement while improving regional connectivity.
When operational, the Kaduna–Kano line is expected to provide an alternative to road transportation, facilitate the movement of goods and passengers, and strengthen commercial links across major Northern Nigerian centres.
Reaffirming the administration’s infrastructure agenda, Alake said, “In line with President Tinubu’s agenda, all ongoing infrastructure projects will be delivered in every part of the country as scheduled.”
