Speaking at the African Union Commission (AUC) Department of Infrastructure and Energy (IED) Continental Workshop on the Implementation of the African Integrated Rail Network (AIRN) held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in May 2024, Uganda Railway Corporation (URC) Senior Commercial Officer, Jesca Bakazibazira gave information about URC's railway program and regional connection projects.
Opinions on Uganda Railways Company's Projects and Regional Links
Jesca Bakazibazira, Senior Commercial Officer, Uganda Railways Corporation (URC)
In his speech, Bakazibazira detailed URC's history, business lines, railway corridors, ongoing and recent projects, future projects and key interventions. The history of Uganda railways dates back to when the railway reached Kampala in 1931 and Kasese in 1956. Although the Uganda Railway is named after its final destination, its entire original 1.060 kilometers (660 mi) length is located in present-day Kenya. Construction began in 1896 in the port city of Mombasa in British East Africa and was completed in 1901 at the line's terminus, Kisumu, on the east shore of Lake Victoria. The meter railway (MGR) network in Uganda was laid mostly between the 1920s and 1960s to connect the interior of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya. Important milestones are:
- 1926: Jinja
- 1929: Tororo to Soroti
- 1931: Kampala
- 1948: Establishment of the East African Railways and Harbors Company (EARH)
- 1956: Kampala to Kasese
- 1964: Pakwach
- 1977: Dissolution of the East African Community (EAC)
- 1992: Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) Act
- 2006-2018: Rift Valley Railways (RVR) franchise
- 2018-present: URC's current operations
- In 2006, URC entered into a concession agreement with Kenya Railways under Rift Valley Railways, which was terminated in 2018, leading to URC continuing its operations. Currently, URC operates only 1.266 kilometers of its 269-kilometer network, and the government is working to replace the 997 kilometers that are not operational.
One of the major projects is the rehabilitation of the Tororo-Gulu line, a 375-kilometer section. Bakazibazira emphasized the strategic importance of this line, which is part of Uganda's wider network, including the existing meter railway (MGR) and the proposed standard meter railway (SGR) lines aimed at improving connectivity to Rwanda and South Sudan.
URC's business segments include freight, passenger services and marine operations. The railway workshop serves both domestic and international needs and the suburban service currently covers 13 kilometers and is planned to be extended to Mukono by June 2024. Maritime operations under the URC include MV Pamba and MV Kaawa, two roll-on/roll-off rail vessels connecting Uganda to Tanzania via Mwanza Port, Port Bell and Jinja Pier. This sea link supports cargo movement between Dar es Salaam and Uganda, complementing the rail network.
Bakazibazira also mentioned important logistics centers under the URC, such as the recently completed Gulu Logistics Center, which aims to serve South Sudan and Eastern Congo. Mukono Inland Container Depot (ICD) and Kampala Commodity Depot are also important nodes in the network. The Central Corridor, mainly via Mwanza, contributes 20% of Uganda's freight tonnes and improvements are needed to increase competitiveness. Five-day DAR-MZA transit and 17-18 hours on the water. Asset availability ~200 railcars (rehabilitation of 20 URC flatbed railcars by Central Corridor Transit Facilitation Agency).
The Northern Corridor, which extends from Mombasa to Kampala, carries out most of Uganda's freight transportation using the MGR and SGR lines in Kenya and transfers in Naivasha.
Ongoing projects include the rehabilitation of the 375 km Tororo-Gulu MGR line, managed by China Rail and Road Bridge Corporation and inspected by M/STYPSA. This project started in November 2023 and is currently at 30%. The rehabilitation of the Kampala-Mukono line, specifically the upgrade of the 43km railway line to concrete sleepers, started in March 2023 and the reported progress currently stands at 75%.
URC is also working on a capacity building and asset improvement project. The URC Capacity Building project, led by Consultrans, aims to improve the performance of the Uganda Railway Corporation through consultancy services. The €25,9 million project is currently in the fault liability period with weighted physical progress of 80%. Consultrans facilitates the guaranteed transfer of technology and know-how to improve the Company and its future development. The Government of Uganda (GoU) supports ongoing capacity building programs to transform the organization and train staff in their fields. The project includes a significant human resources component, with capacity building provided by Consultrans SAU.
Future projects focus on expanding and upgrading the network. Plans are being made for the Kampala-Port Bell and Kampala-Kyengera lines to concrete the sleepers to support passenger services with funding from the African Development Bank. The AfDB funding is a comprehensive revamp of MGR operations, including the purchase of locomotives, rolling stock, marine vessels and corporate development.
Recently, ministers from Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya have committed to advancing the SGR project, starting with the Kampala-Malaba section and extending to Kasese, Mpondwe and Rwanda and South Sudan in the future. URC hopes to launch this project within the fiscal year, subject to funding availability.
Bakazibazira concluded his remarks by emphasizing that continued interventions and financing are needed to fully realize the goals of the URC and ensure the sustainability of the network and its effectiveness within the broader connectivity framework of the region.
Key issues include interoperability between Uganda's railway system and the railway systems of its neighbors Tanzania and Kenya. Uganda is adopting the same standards that Kenya Railways uses for the Northern Corridor. Recent studies indicate that the same Chinese company involved in Kenya's SGR projects will be employed. Although there are some funding issues, discussions are ongoing with Kenya Railways to align Uganda's standards with Kenya's for the northern part of the network.
For the Central Corridor, development efforts are being supported by the African Development Bank to develop Port Bell. This project will apply the same measures and standards as Tanzania. The Central Corridor map shows the route from Tanzania via Lake Victoria to Port Bell or Jinja Pier and accommodates both Tanzanian and Kenyan rail standards for seamless connectivity.
The railway line from Tororo to Kampala, Tororo to Gulu and Pakwach to South Sudan will follow Kenya Railways (KRC) standards in line with the Northern Corridor. Currently, for the Nairobi to Kampala route, cargo departs from Mombasa to Naivasha via standard gauge. At Naivasha, it is transferred from standard gauge to meter gauge, then transported from Naivasha to Malaba, where the Ugandan wagons take over.
This system uses SGR to serve customers efficiently. Although there is a layover at Naivasha, future plans aim to eliminate this and enable wagons to travel directly from Mombasa to Kampala without the need for layovers. Despite the current regulation, operations are managed without significant delays, especially for containerized cargo, which is easier to handle this way.
