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 All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its spokesperson, Dele Alake.
Alake said the 203-kilometre Kaduna–Zaria–Kano railway project has reached approximately 90 per cent completion, while the 400-kilometre Kano–Katsina–Maradi railway project has attained 70 per cent completion.
He said the progress recorded on both projects represented a significant improvement from their respective levels of completion when Tinubu assumed office in 2023.
He emphasised that the Kano–Katsina–Maradi project was barely five per cent completed at the time, while the Kaduna–Kano railway stood at less than 30 per cent.
The APC-PCC described the projects as evidence of the administration’s commitment to expanding Nigeria’s railway infrastructure, strengthening regional connectivity and facilitating the movement of passengers and goods across the country and beyond.
It explained that the Kaduna–Kano railway, an extension of the existing Abuja–Kaduna standard gauge line, would establish a continuous rail connection between Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano, linking major commercial centres in Northern Nigeria.
The APC-PCC further disclosed that a Federal Government inspection team, led by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Funso Adebiyi, recently inspected the projects on the directive of the President.
The team reportedly expressed satisfaction with the quality of construction, particularly the railway alignment, drainage infrastructure, embankment protection, stone pitching and soil stabilisation.
As part of the inspection, officials undertook a train test-run from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano to assess the completed track infrastructure and passenger comfort.
The council added that Tinubu had directed the immediate resolution of outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis to facilitate the completion of the remaining railway corridor between Abuja and Kano.
It said the completed 190-kilometre Jaji–Kano section of the Kaduna–Kano railway and the 250-kilometre Dawanu–Kano–Kazaure–Daura–Katsina section of the Kano–Maradi project were scheduled for inauguration on December 3.
When fully operational, the Kaduna–Kano railway is expected to ease passenger transportation, stimulate 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 boost cross-border transportation and trade between Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic.
The APC-PCC reaffirmed that, in line with Tinubu’s agenda, all ongoing infrastructure projects across the country would be completed as scheduled.