Uganda: Government decides to rehabilitate century-old meter-gauge railway, seeking funds

“In the next five years, we expect those places to be serviced by the meter gauge railway as long as the financing is secured."

To rehabilitate the large part of the century-old meter gauge Railway in Uganda, the country is seeking around $976 million to fund the project, according to a report by The East African.

Reportedly expected to get completed in the coming five years the government has decided to rehabilitate the old meter-gauge railway. With the availability of the funds, the Uganda Railways will start upgrading the project according to the managing director of Uganda Railways Corporation, Stanley Sendegeya. He said the existing damaged railways will be upgraded by the construction of the older ones, purchasing wagons, locomotives, and engines.

The routes earmarked in the project are the Kampala-Malaba line, the Tororo-Gulu line, the Gulu-Pakwach line, and the Kampala-Kasese line. The Kampala-Malaba line is one of the busy routes that will cost over $402 million for rehabilitation, as per the report. It further added that the Ugandan government has assured a loan of $402 million by the European Union for upgrading the Tororo-Gulu line, even when the route has not been in use for a long time. Though, it allows easy access in South Sudan.

The other line Kampala-Kasese, connects Rwenzori, the mineral-rich area and sides of western DR Congo that will be rehabilitated in $610 million.

As per the report, the rehabilitation project is also seeking passenger extension services, as the lines will add new coaches to two separate routes.

"In the next five years, we expect those places to be serviced by the meter gauge railway as long as the financing is secured," said Sendegeya.