The Abuja-Kaduna railway development is one of the first Standard Gauge Railway Modernisation Projects (SGRMP) undertaken in Nigeria.
The standard gauge line will connect Nigeria’s national capital Abuja with its commercial business Kaduna. The development of the Abuja-Kaduna railway development will enable faster movement of goods and people between Nigeria’s two hub spots.
The Abuja-Kaduna railway construction commenced in 2011 and is expected to be fully completed later this year (2014). Responsible for the railway construction is China Civil and Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
The railway development currently employs roughly 4,000 Nigerians and will generate over 5,000 operation and maintenance jobs once the construction is finished. The railway development forms part of the modernisation initiative in Nigeria which aims at replacing the existing narrow gauge system with the wider standard gauge system in order to cater for high-speed train operations.
The other standard gauge line projects in the pipeline in Nigeria include:
- The Lagos-Benin City (300km)
- Benin-Abakiliki (500km)
- Benin Obudu Cattle Ranch (673km)
- Lagos-Abuja high speed (615km)
- Zaria-Birnin Koni (520km)
- The Port Harcourt-Maiduguri line (1,657km)
