· Financing the rehabilitation of its century-old metre gauge railway will need over $976 million
· The government is looking for development partners to support the project.
Ugandan Government had planned a $2.3 billion standard gauge railway project in 2017 to improve its infrastructure. However, the project failed to take off and it later decided to rehabilitate the old metre gauge railway. According to Stanley Sendegeya, the managing director of Uganda Railways Corporation, the project is expected to be completed in the next five years and includes upgradation of existing railway lines, reconstruction of damaged ones, purchase of locomotives, wagons and engines. Financing the rehabilitation of its century-old metre gauge railway will need over $976 million. The government is looking for development partners to support the project.
The busy Kampala-Malaba line that connects the capital city with Kenya at Malaba border crossing is among the routes identified for rehabilitation at a cost of $402 million.
Recently Ugandan government secured a $57.3 million loan from the European Union to upgrade and reconstruct the Tororo-Gulu line which has been out of use for decades. This line will improve better access to South Sudan. Other sections earmarked under the project are the Gulu-Pakwach line to connect to the country’s oil-rich region and to northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The project is also expected to extend passenger services after the acquisition of new coaches to two different routes.Uganda is also improving its capacity to handle large volumes of cargo on Lake Victoria.
