FG Targets 2026 Completion for Kaduna–Kano Standard Gauge Rail Line

 The Federal Government on July 30, 2025, reaffirmed its commitment to complete the Kaduna–Kano Standard Gauge Rail Line by December 2026, as stated by Minister of Transportation Saidu Alkali during a project inspection. 

The 185-kilometer line, part of the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, is 60% complete, with $1.2 billion invested since 2016 by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). The project aims to boost trade, connecting Kano’s 15 million residents to Lagos via the existing network.

Progress includes 120 kilometers of track laid and three stations under construction, but delays from funding shortages, $300 million still pending, and security threats, with 50 attacks on workers in 2024, have slowed work. 

The government plans a $500 million loan to meet the deadline, promising 5,000 jobs. The narrative of infrastructure development is ambitious, but success depends on security stabilization and financial mobilization, with skeptics citing past delays on the Lagos-Ibadan line.