Ocnus.Net
East Africa: Countries Move to Upgrade Railway Network
By Zeddy Sambu, API 3/4/08.
May 3, 2008 - 12:22:19 PM
The major project provides for a vast network of
additional railway lines within East Africa and others linking the region to
neighbouring Ethiopia, southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). Magaga Alot, the spokesperson for the East African Community (EAC)
Secretariat said consultants have been commissioned to establish the viability
of constructing 15 new lines under the EAC Railways Development Master
Plan.
“The feasibility study will outline precise financial and
implementation details. We are meeting stakeholders in Nairobi tomorrow (today)
to appraise them on the feasibility report,” Elijah Nduati, the deputy
secretary for rail transport told the Business Daily. A bidders conference for
all potential investors will follow thereafter, Nduati said. Tanzania would be
the main beneficiary of the new railway lines should the ambitious project
materialise. Besides the Isaka-Kigali line, eight other new railway lines have
been proposed within the country, linking Tanzania with other states.
Kenya would have two railway branches connecting it to
its closest Horn of Africa neighbours, Ethiopia and Sudan. One of the proposed
railway lines will connect Garissa town with the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa,
while another will be constructed from Lamu to Juba in south Sudan via Garissa.
Under the East African Railways Master plan, Uganda would
have four new lines connecting to southern Sudan, DRC and Tanzania. Burundi and
Rwanda, which joined the regional bloc on July 1, have been asked to provide
their proposals to the Master Plan Study consultants to speed up the work.
Already, the Tanzanian and Rwandan governments have confirmed that a railway
line would be built to link the Isaka Inland Port in Shinyanga region and the
Rwandese capital, Kigali.
By revamping, linking and expanding the rail network,
players are moving towards establishing a standardised network throughout the
region. Analysts say existing East African railways, built at the dawn of the
last century, have fallen into near total neglect and need overhaul. Last week,
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who is the current chairman of the East
African Community, directed the EAC to launch integrated regional
infrastructure development programmes. President Museveni further directed the
EAC Secretariat to present the implementation master plan for the railways
project for consideration at the next Summit meeting.
“This is an initiative to replace the one metre-gauge
line by a four-metre line. A taskforce is in place and is today expected to
brief on a finalised feasibility study,” Mr Nduati said by phone. During a
strategic ministerial retreat on Regional Infrastructure Development and
Opportunities held at the Munyonyo Resort in Kampala, President Museveni
said the EAC region faced a great challenge regarding its current state
of infrastructure.
“There is need to satisfy demand for energy, railways,
roads, inland waterways and airlines services, communications networks, as well
as ease border crossing and administrative procedures,” Mr Museveni
said.
Source: Ocnus.net 2008