Posted on 30 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On 25 August, Ugandan finance minister Syda Bbumba signed a revised agreement on the Kenya-Uganda railway concession, the Daily Monitor reports: “The agreement ends a bitter continental fight over the network, which pitted Ugandan and Kenyan businessmen jostling with Egyptian investors to replace the South African firm that originally won the 25-year concession over the [...] [...more]
Posted on 30 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
According to press reports, “it is now emerging that the logistics needed for the planned East African standard gauge railway network will pose enormous challenges. These are however outweighed by the opportunities.” All five members of the East African Community have agreed in principle to build the lines in their territories. Construction of the regional [...] [...more]
Posted on 30 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
East Africa needs to raise up to $US25 billion, or nearly two-thirds of Kenya’s annual output, over the next decade to upgrade its railways in order to boost trade, Reuters reports, quoting the East African Community’s (EAC) deputy secretary-general for infrastructure and planning Alloys Mutabingwa: “We are talking about the railway master plan which is [...] [...more]
Posted on 20 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Kenya Railway Corporation (KRC) plans to issue bonds to fund part of a $US200 million upgrade to the rail system in the capital Nairobi, Mugo Kibati, head of the government’s long-term development plan (“Vision 2030”), told reporters on 16 August. A new 7km rail line is to link the capital’s airport to the city centre. [...] [...more]
Posted on 20 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
In the words of The EastAfrican, what has been going on at Rift Valley Railways (RVR) “involves a colourful cast of inept public officials and World Bank advisors, scheming businessmen and profiteers, political sharks, an ambitious and untouchable Kenyan investment house and a brash private equity operator from Egypt with lots of cash.” Ugandan businessman [...] [...more]
Posted on 13 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Citadel Capital, the Egyptian private equity firm with a 51% stake in Rift Valley Railways (RVR), says it is holding talks with the Ugandan government concerning two lines that were excluded from the original concession deal. These are the 507km Tororo-Pakwach section and the 300km Kampala- Kasese route, which has been out of service for [...] [...more]
Posted on 13 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has advertised for contractors to build a new station in Nairobi. “We expect construction to start in the next 60 days,” managing director Nduva Muli told the newspaper the Nation. The facility will be “somewhere along Mombasa Road” and is to include a shopping centre, carpark and bus terminus. “We are [...] [...more]
Posted on 02 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Rift Valley Railways (RVR), holders of a 25-year concession to operate some 2,200km of track linking the port of Mombasa in Kenya with the interior of both Kenya and Uganda, is to receive about $US250 million to fund its capital expenditure programme. The financing structure for the funding is still under negotiation with various institutions, [...] [...more]
Posted on 18 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
It has been officially announced in Kampala, East African Business Week reports, that the Ugandan government intends to build a standard gauge railway to connect the capital and its border at Malaba, where it joins the Kenya Railways. It has called for consultants to undertake the preliminary engineering design – a process expected to take [...] [...more]
Posted on 14 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Kenya and Uganda plan freight trains running three times as fast as at present and carrying ten times as much – within three years. Kenya Railways managing director Nduva Muli foresees loads in excess of 30 million tons annually. He told Reuters that trains on the existing metre gauge track travel at about 40km/h using [...] [...more]
Posted on 07 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Rift Valley Railways (RVR) is enhancing security measures to ensure safer movement of containers to the inland container depots (ICD) at Nairobi and Kampala. To date, RVR acting chief marketing and commercial manager James Nganga explains, 81 container wagons have been fitted with protective steel bars, including a complete train of 40 vehicles. Theft from [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The slum area around Nairobi is a huge problem to Rift Valley Railways (RVR) – and stands in the way of ambitious government plans to provide a fast, substantially upgraded commuter service. At present, trains cannot move safely at speeds greater than 20km/h. The Nation, published in the city, quotes RVR general manager for the [...] [...more]
