President Bola Tinubu has accelerated the completion of major railway projects in Northern Nigeria, with the 203-kilometre Kaduna-Kano Standard Gauge Railway scheduled for inauguration on December 3, 2026.
Dele Alake, spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, said in a statement on Sunday that the Kaduna-Kano project had reached 90% completion, while the 400-kilometre Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway had attained 70%.
Alake said the progress marked a significant improvement from the situation when Tinubu assumed office in 2023, noting that the Kano-Katsina-Maradi rail project was barely five per cent complete, while the Kaduna-Kano line was less than 30 per cent complete.
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He said the projects demonstrated the administration’s commitment to expanding railway infrastructure, improving regional connectivity and facilitating the movement of passengers and goods.
According to him, the Kaduna-Kano railway, an extension of the existing Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge line, will provide a continuous rail connection between Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano, linking major commercial centres in the North.
Alake disclosed that a federal government inspection team led by Funso Adebiyi, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, recently assessed the projects on Tinubu’s directive and expressed satisfaction with the quality of construction.
The inspection included a test-run train journey from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano, during which officials assessed the completed track infrastructure and passenger comfort.
He said Tinubu had also directed the immediate resolution of outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues in Kaduna metropolis to facilitate the completion of the railway corridor from Abuja to Kano.
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Alake said the 190-kilometre Jaji-Kano section of the Kaduna-Kano project and the 250-kilometre Dawanu-Kano-Kazaure-Daura-Katsina section of the Kano-Maradi project were scheduled for inauguration on December 3.
He added that the Kaduna-Kano line would provide an alternative to road transportation along one of Northern Nigeria’s busiest commercial corridors, while the Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway would strengthen cross-border trade and transportation between Nigeria and Niger Republic.
“All ongoing infrastructure projects will be delivered in every part of the country as scheduled,” Alake said.
