The Ugandan government has commenced work on the restoration of a branch of a century-old, British-built railway line. This railway line is expected to reduce the cost of shipping products to north of the country, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), according to the railway’s spokesperson
This rail line had been in disuse for approximately 40 years and Why Uganda Is Restoring a 100-Year-Old Rail Link by Somto Nwanolue
The Ugandan government has commenced work on the restoration of a branch of a century-old, British-built railway line. This railway line is expected to reduce the cost of shipping products to north of the country, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), according to the railway’s spokesperson
The rail-line has been in disuse for approximately 40 years, and is part of East Africa’s rail network that extends from Kenya’s seaport of Mombasa.
It had been constructed by Kenya and Uganda’s former colonial ruler, Britain, in early 20th-century.
Uganda had made plans to reconstruct the old network after a proposal to build an independent modern standard gauge railway (SGR) fell through because it failed to secure financing from China.
The 382 km section of the rail-line to be revamped links Tororo town(located in eastern Uganda’s near the border with Kenya) and ends at a logistics hub in Gulu(located in northern Uganda’s near its border with South Sudan).
Ugandan officials expect that once the link is restored, the rail-line would gradually replace trucks in shipping goods to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.
