The Federal Government says it is intensifying efforts to complete major railway projects in Northern Nigeria, with the Kaduna-Kano Standard Gauge Railway scheduled for inauguration on December 3, 2026.

The 203-kilometre Kaduna-Zaria-Kano railway project has reached approximately 90 per cent completion, while the 400-kilometre Kano-Katsina-Maradi railway project is now 70 per cent complete.

The assurances were contained in a statement by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and spokesman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake.

According to Alake, the Kano-Katsina-Maradi project was barely five per cent complete when President Bola Tinubu assumed office in 2023, while the Kaduna-Kano line had recorded less than 30 per cent completion.

He said the projects reflect the administration’s commitment to expanding railway infrastructure, improving regional connectivity and facilitating the movement of passengers and goods.

Alake explained that the two projects were recently inspected on the directive of President Tinubu by a Federal Government team led by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Engineer Funso Adebiyi, who expressed satisfaction with the quality of work.

The inspection included a train test run from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano to assess the completed railway infrastructure and passenger comfort.

He added that the President had directed the immediate resolution of outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within Kaduna metropolis to facilitate the completion of the railway corridor from Abuja to Kano.

According to the statement, 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 are expected to be inaugurated on December 3, 2026.

When fully operational, the Kaduna-Kano railway is expected to improve passenger transportation, boost 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 strengthen cross-border transportation and trade between Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic.

The Federal Government says ongoing infrastructure projects across the country will be delivered in line with President Tinubu’s development agenda.