AFRICA\\\


Road has dominated surface transport in sub-Saharan Africa these past few decades, but the region’s railways are poised for a revival. Several countries have embarked on schemes to construct brand new lines or revitalise old ones that could revolutionise freight transport across the region. Africa has had railways for a


long time, of course, but many of the lines built in the colonial era have suffered from chronic under- investment and been allowed to decay, in many cases to the point of collapse. With the exception of a couple of dedicated lines for the mining industry in Liberia, almost all the region’s railways are narrow gauge (and not always the same narrow gauge to boot) and this has made them unattractive to investors. Railways are uniquely


vulnerable to the infrastructure problems that plague all of Africa. If a section of road degenerates into a potholed quagmire, while it may be highly inconvenient, resourceful truckers and bush taxi-drivers can usually find a way round it or a temporary replacement bridge can be hastily slung across a river - but a railway that is cut


in two effectively


becomes useless overnight. If a truck breaks down or has a mishap, other road users simply steer round the obstruction whereas a broken down train in a single line section can disrupt traffic for days on end. But that could all be about to


change in Kenya, where China Road and Bridge Corporation is scheduled to complete in 2017 the first, US$3.8 billion. stage of a standard gauge railway (SGR) project between the country’s major port, Mombasa and the capital, Nairobi. Kenya actually already has one


of the region’s more functional railway systems and the new 370 mile long SGR will parallel the existing meter gauge railway. But there will be no comparison between the new and the old railways; 54-wagon double- stack container trains will carry 216teu each at an average speed of 50mph; passenger trains will run even faster, at around 75mph. The heavily engineered line is


intended eventually to


carry about 22 million tonnes of cargo a year – and around 40% of Mombasa Port’s throughput. The new line will also be single track initially, though presumably


Issue 7 2015 - Freight Business Journal Revolution on the rails


modern locomotives and rolling stock will reduce the potential for chaos caused by breakdowns. The Kenya-Mombasa line is


intended to be the first section of a modern rail network that will ultimately link to Uganda, Rwanda and even, in theory, South Sudan. The timetable for the opening of the Uganda line is 2018. Plans for the new rail link are


closely linked to a scheme by Kenya Ports Authority to develop the port. Construction is due to begin in 2018 on the second phase of a plan to enlarge facilities to handle ships up to Panamax size with a 300m quay and deepening to 15m. Overall, the measures will boost Mombasa’s annual capacity by around 450,000teu to 2m teu. Business is already quite brisk at the port, East Africa’s largest, at around 1.125m teu this year compared with around 1m teu in 2014, when it became the first sub-Saharan port other than Durban to achieve this milestone. About half of the containerized cargo handled at Mombasa continues on to destinations in neighbouring Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda. Nigeria is a prime example of


an African country where the railways had been allowed to become virtually extinct. One narrow gauge (3’ 6”) line between Lagos and the inland city of Kano is now reportedly back in action and the route inland from Port Harcourt is allegedly close to being rehabilitated (but the section in Port Harcourt port itself had definitely not seen any trains for months if not years on a recent visit). There are various plans to


construct standard gauge lines and brand new but clearly as yet unused lines were visible in the Abuja area recently. However, much of this new construction appears to be aimed at the passenger market rather than freight. Major new rail projects in the


country are no doubt also on hold, along with most other major infrastructure spending, pending the appointment of a new cabinet. South Africa did at least retain


a functioning railway system throughout its economic and social vicissitudes and, outside the major cities, the emphasis for the 3’ 6” network is mainly on freight. Main lines are electrified and


the infrastructure reasonable condition. is in The South African system


connects to neighbouring countries including Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Operations in the latter two countries have suffered as a result of Zimbabwe’s seemingly endless political and economic woes and the Mozambique system has gone into sharp decline, but is reportedly being rehabilitated.


Air Partner gets aid to central Africa


Air Partner has airlifted nearly 90 tonnes of urgent food items to the Central African Republic for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic


(MINUSCA) Project. Air Partner arranged the charter of a Boeing 747 freight aircraft direct from Liege in Belgium to Bangui M’Poko International Airport. Bangui is an extremely challenging airport to access


25


as it has very few scheduled air services and lacks fuel supplies. Air Partner also helped find


storage for almost 50 tonnes of frozen food items in Belgium before departure.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44