The federal government has affirmed its commitment to complete and commission the 284-kilometre Kano-Katsina railway project by December 2026, despite challenges posed by insecurity, land disputes and the seasonal slowdown in construction activities.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Funso Adebiyi, gave the assurance during a joint inspection of the ongoing project by officials of the ministry, Ministry of Finance, representatives of lending institutions and the project contractor.

Represented by the Director, Rail Transport Services, Habibat Buhari, Adebiyi spoke to newsmen following the test run of the completed track from Kazauri to Katsina. said the project remains on course despite the challenges encountered by the project.

According to her, the project encountered challenges including insecurity and disputes over land and canal areas as the two major issues affecting the pace of construction, adding that the rainy season also slowed construction activities but stressed that significant work had already been accomplished.

Buhari explained that the current level of physical progress remained around 80 per cent, adding that materials required for track laying had already been stockpiled at the project camp. She assured that the government was working to ensure that the remaining activities were completed within the approved timeline.

She also disclosed that the government was intensifying engagement with affected communities and other stakeholders to resolve the land-related disputes and enable contractors to move into the affected sections.

Also speaking, the Director, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Muhammadu Kamal, who represented the ministry, revealed that the government had released its15 per cent counterpart funding.