Tinubu To Launch Kaduna-Kano Rail Dec 3 As Northern Railway Projects Hit Major Milestones
ABUJA, NIGERIA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to inaugurate the highly anticipated Kaduna–Kano Standard Gauge Railway on December 3, 2026, marking a significant milestone in the administration’s aggressive drive to overhaul Nigeria’s rail infrastructure.
The announcement was made in a press statement released on Sunday, November 8, 2026, by Dele Alake, Spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
The statement highlights a massive acceleration in northern rail developments, revealing that the 203-kilometre Kaduna–Zaria–Kano project has now reached approximately 90 percent completion, a steep rise from the less than 30 percent recorded when President Tinubu assumed office in 2023.
In tandem with the Kaduna-Kano line, the administration announced that the 400-kilometre Kano–Katsina–Maradi international railway project has reached 70 per cent completion, rising from a mere 5 percent baseline in 2023.
According to the campaign council, the December 3 launch will officially open the completed 190-kilometre Jaji-Kano section of the Kaduna-Kano rail line, alongside the 250-kilometre Dawanu-Kano-Kazaure-Daura-Katsina section of the Kano-Maradi project.
The developments follow a rigorous field inspection and a successful train test run from Jaji in Kaduna State to Kano.
The federal evaluation team, led by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Funso Adebiyi expressed total satisfaction with the structural integrity of the project, highlighting the quality of the track alignment, soil stabilization, and drainage infrastructure.
To ensure the final phases of the project proceed without delay, President Tinubu has issued a direct mandate to resolve all outstanding land acquisition and compensation issues within the Kaduna metropolis immediately.
This directive aims to secure an unhindered corridor, finalizing the seamless, continuous standard gauge network linking Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, and Kano.Once fully operational, the Kaduna-Kano railway is expected to provide a safe, high-capacity alternative to road travel along one of Northern Nigeria’s most congested commercial corridors.
Meanwhile, the expanding Kano–Katsina–Maradi line is strategically positioned to boost cross-border trade and strengthen macroeconomic relations between Nigeria and the neighbouring Niger Republic.
