The Senate on Tuesday launched a comprehensive investigation into the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano railway line following mounting concerns over declining services, dilapidated facilities and a sharp drop in passenger patronage more than a decade after the project was commissioned.
The probe targets the deteriorating condition of the railway and the capacity of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to effectively manage and maintain one of the country’s most critical transport corridors. An ad hoc committee, first constituted in November but delayed due to funding constraints, was formally revived to examine contract execution, maintenance practices, finances and overall operational efficiency.
Presenting his experience, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) told the chamber that a recent trip on the Abuja–Kaduna train exposed what he described as a dramatic decline in service quality. He said a journey designed to last about one hour stretched to more than three hours due to worn-out coaches and failing tracks.
“This is a Nigerian tragedy,” Ningi said, disclosing that daily passenger figures had fallen from about 10,000 at the peak of operations to fewer than 1,000 on a single shuttle. He added that revenues had also collapsed and urged the Senate to treat the railway’s decline as a national emergency.
The Abuja–Kaduna railway, completed in 2015 as the first phase of Nigeria’s rail modernisation programme, was built by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and financed largely through Chinese project-tied loans. At commissioning, it was widely celebrated as a flagship of modern rail transportation in Nigeria.
Over the years, however, the line has suffered from poor maintenance, vandalism, derailments and persistent security threats, including bandit attacks along the northern corridor. The most recent derailment, recorded in August 2025 at Asham, further heightened public concerns about safety and management.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Transport, Senator Adamu Aliero, described the current state of the railway as an eyesore and called for urgent and coordinated intervention to restore efficiency and public confidence.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio underscored the severity of the situation with a pointed remark during plenary. “Bicycle—even keke is faster than the Abuja–Kaduna train,” he said, drawing reactions in the chamber and highlighting the irony of a rail system now being outpaced by motorcycles and tricycles.
Akpabio stressed that beyond the humour lay serious accountability issues, insisting that every kobo spent on the project must be scrutinised to ensure value for public funds.
The Senate thereafter inaugurated the ad hoc committee, chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, with a six-week mandate to review contracts, maintenance records, financial statements and operational practices, and to recommend measures to restore safety, reliability and efficiency.
For commuters, the Senate’s concerns reflect daily experiences of long delays, overcrowded coaches and unpredictable schedules, conditions that have driven many passengers back to road transport despite safety risks.
Analysts warn that continued neglect of the Abuja–Kaduna rail line could erode investor confidence in Nigeria’s rail sector and weaken public trust in government-funded infrastructure projects. They argue that sustained investment in track rehabilitation, modern rolling stock and enhanced security will be critical if the line is to be rescued from further decline.