Kenya and China have broken the ground for the construction of a standard gauge railway line
Sarah Kimani
SABC News
Kenya and China have broken the ground for the construction of a standard gauge railway line. The modern rail is expected to start from Mombasa extend to Uganda, South Sudan and end in Rwanda.
Construction is expected to begin immediately. Celebrations marked the ceremony held in Kenya’s coastal town of Changamwe, where the railway will start its journey and finally dock in Rwanda.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says that the current railway line was built in 1895. He elaborates that Kenya is seeking to better its economy through the construction of the new railway line.
The railway is set to be completed in March 2018 and will stop in Kisangani, on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The new rail system will accommodate both passenger and cargo trains which will run at speeds which are three times faster than the current trains.
Kenyatta refuted claims that the project which incorporates Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan will alienate Tanzania and Burundi who are partners in the Eastern African Community trading bloc. China’s Exim Bank is funding 85% of the project through a loan.
Kenya will fund the rest through a railway development fund to be financed from a special tax called the “rail levy”. Kenya says the new line will contribute at 1.5% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
____________
BBC News- After the Nairobi section is finished, with completion due in 2017, it will be extended through Uganda, with branch lines west to Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo, south through Rwanda to Burundi and north to South Sudan.
Passenger trains will travel at a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph), while freight trains will have a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).
____________
Business and development in other regions of Africa
Video: Zimbabwe construction boom
__________
Video: Business across Africa- November 27, 2013
___________
