By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Kaduna-Kano Standard Gauge Railway is scheduled for inauguration on December 3, 2026, as the Federal Government intensifies work on major railway projects across Northern Nigeria.

The 203-kilometre Kaduna-Zaria-Kano rail project has reached about 90 per cent completion, while the 400-kilometre Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway project is now 70 per cent complete, according to the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council.

The figures were contained in a statement issued on November 8, 2026, by Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

The Council said both projects had recorded significant progress since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in 2023, noting that the Kano-Katsina-Maradi project was then about five per cent complete, while the Kaduna-Kano railway was below 30 per cent completion.

It said the Kaduna-Kano railway, an extension of the existing Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge line, would establish a continuous rail connection linking Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano, thereby improving transportation between major commercial centres in the North.

According to the statement, the two projects were recently inspected on Tinubu’s directive 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, 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, during which officials assessed the completed track infrastructure and passenger comfort.

The statement said the President had directed that outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis be resolved immediately to enable completion of the railway corridor between Abuja and Kano.

It added that the completed 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.

The APC campaign council said the Kaduna-Kano railway, when fully operational, would improve passenger transportation, facilitate commercial activities and provide an alternative to road travel along one of Northern Nigeria’s busiest commercial corridors.

It said the Kano-Katsina-Maradi project would similarly strengthen transportation and trade links between Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic.

The council said the Tinubu administration remained committed to completing ongoing infrastructure projects across the country, describing the railway developments as part of efforts to expand connectivity and facilitate the movement of passengers and goods.