Kaduna-Kano Rail Line Ready For December 3 Inauguration – APC

The Kaduna-Kano Standard Gauge Railway is scheduled for inauguration on  December 3,  2026, following significant progress in construction, with the project now approximately 90 per cent complete.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the 203-kilometre Kaduna-Zaria-Kano railway was nearing completion under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, said the project had recorded substantial progress since Tinubu assumed office in 2023, when construction was less than 30 per cent complete.

It also disclosed that the 400-kilometre Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway project had reached 70 per cent completion, compared with barely five per cent when the current administration took office.

According to the statement, the Federal Government recently conducted an inspection of both projects on the directive of President Tinubu.

The inspection team, led by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Funso Adebiyi, expressed satisfaction with the quality of the construction work, particularly the railway alignment, drainage infrastructure, embankment protection, stone pitching, and soil stabilisation.

The team also conducted a train test-run from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano to assess the completed track infrastructure and passenger comfort.

The council said the President had directed that outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis be resolved immediately to facilitate the completion of the remaining section of the railway corridor.

It added that the 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 3 December.

The Kaduna-Kano railway, an extension of the Abuja-Kaduna standard-gauge line, is expected to provide a continuous rail connection between Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, and Kano.

When operational, the line is expected to improve passenger movement, facilitate commercial activities and provide an alternative to road transportation 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 projects demonstrated the administration’s commitment to expanding railway infrastructure and delivering ongoing infrastructure projects across all parts of the country.