FG Sets December 3 for Inauguration of Northern Rail Projects

The Federal Government has fixed December 3, 2026, for the inauguration of key sections of the Kaduna–Kano Standard Gauge Railway and Kano–Katsina–Maradi railway projects as part of efforts to expand rail transportation and improve connectivity across Northern Nigeria.

The development was disclosed in a statement by the spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, who said the Kaduna–Kano railway had reached approximately 90 per cent completion, while the Kano–Katsina–Maradi project had attained 70 per cent.

According to the statement, the Kaduna–Kano railway, which connects Kaduna, Zaria and Kano, is an extension of the existing Abuja–Kaduna standard gauge line. When fully operational, it will establish a continuous rail connection between Abuja and Kano, providing an alternative to road transportation along a major commercial corridor in Northern Nigeria. The council noted that the Kaduna–Kano project was less than 30 per cent complete when President Bola Tinubu assumed office in 2023, while the Kano–Katsina–Maradi railway had recorded barely five per cent completion.

It further disclosed that 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 would be inaugurated on December 3. Meanwhile, President Tinubu directed the immediate resolution of outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis to facilitate the completion of the remaining railway corridor linking Abuja and Kano.

By Oshuniran Sheriff Ola