By Duchess Ifeoluwa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stepped up efforts to complete major railway projects in Northern Nigeria, with the Kaduna-Kano Standard Gauge Railway scheduled for inauguration on December 3, 2026.
The 203-kilometre Kaduna-Zaria-Kano railway project has reached approximately 90 per cent completion, while the 400-kilometre Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway project is now 70 per cent complete.
According to a statement by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council and signed by Dele Alake, spokesperson for the Council, the projects had recorded significant progress since Tinubu assumed office in 2023.
It said the Kano-Katsina-Maradi project was barely five per cent complete at the time, while the Kaduna-Kano line had achieved less than 30 per cent completion.
The council said the projects reflected the administration’s commitment to expanding Nigeria’s railway infrastructure, improving regional connectivity and facilitating the movement of passengers and goods across the country and beyond.
The Kaduna-Kano railway, an extension of the existing Abuja-Kaduna Standard Gauge line, is expected to establish a continuous rail connection between Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano, strengthening transport links among major commercial centres in Northern Nigeria.
The two projects were recently inspected on the directive of President Tinubu by a Federal Government team led by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Funso Adebiyi.
The team reportedly expressed satisfaction with the quality of construction work, particularly the railway alignment, drainage infrastructure, embankment protection, stone pitching and soil stabilisation.
The inspection also included a train test run from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano, enabling officials to assess the completed track infrastructure and passenger comfort.
The statement said the President had directed that all outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis be resolved immediately to facilitate the completion of the railway corridor from Abuja to Kano.
It added that the completed 190-kilometre Jaji-Kano section of the Kaduna-Kano railway, out of the entire 205-kilometre stretch, as well as the 250-kilometre Dawanu-Kano-Kazaure-Daura-Katsina section of the Kano-Maradi project, would be inaugurated on December 3, 2026.
When fully operational, the Kaduna-Kano railway is expected to improve passenger transportation, boost commercial activities and provide an alternative to road travel along one of Northern Nigeria’s busiest commercial corridors.
Similarly, the Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway is expected to strengthen cross-border transportation and trade between Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic.
The APC Presidential Campaign Council said the Tinubu administration remained committed to completing ongoing infrastructure projects across the country in line with its development agenda.
