Africa – Page 40
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News
Nacala concession completed
ON JANUARY 10 private-sector operators took over Mozambique's Northern Railway and the port of Nacala, with the start of a long-awaited 15-year concession. The handover marks the completion of the second phase of the Nacala Corridor concessioning process. It also paves the way for the start of upgrading on the ...
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Kenya-Uganda accord
TRANSPORT Ministry officials from Kenya and Uganda signed an agreement at the end of December to form a dedicated fleet of container trains to operate ’seamless services’ between Mombasa and Kampala.The accord was signed in Kampala by the Permanent Secretary of Uganda’s Ministry of Works, Transport & Communications Charles Muganzi ...
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Spoornet expansion plans marred by domestic woes
SPOORNET in South Africa continues to nurse ambitions for expansion elsewhere on the African continent, but these may well be hampered by trouble at home. During December, the Ministry of Public Enterprises indicated that Spoornet could be involved in two ambitious rail networks proposed in west and southern Africa. One ...
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Spoornet close to Ghana accord
A CONSORTIUM led by South African rail operator Spoornet is reported to have been selected as preferred bidder for the concession to modernise and operate the rail network in Ghana.CPCS Transcom is advising the government on the privatisation process. A ’rolling concession’ will start with an initial 20-year period followed ...
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EAR concession takes shape
PREQUALIFICATION bids have been called by October 15 for the combined concession to operate and maintain the Kenyan and Ugandan rail networks. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the two countries at the end of July, and Canarail and International Finance Corp have been appointed as transaction advisers. Kenya’s ...
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African links could bring peace and stability
GOLD, DIAMONDS, oil, uranium and other minerals in southern Sudan could be used to fund an ambitious plan to build a 4100 km network of standard-gauge lines joining the country to Uganda and Kenya. Promoted by German rail welding specialist Thormählen Schweisstechnik, the proposals hinged initially on what the company ...
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A luta continua!
Despite financing delays and setbacks caused by cyclones and famine, a multinational concessionaire is starting to make progress with the renovation and operation of the Nacala Corridor linking Mozambique and Malawi
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Rites and Ircon win Sena contract
A US$175m concession to rehabilitate and operate the 575 km Sena line in Mozambique has been awarded to a consortium comprising Rail India Technical & Economic Services and Ircon International. The line links the port at Beira with the Moatize coalfields, with a 39 km branch from Vila de Sena ...
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Kenya-Uganda through trains revived
Uganda Railways Corp and 150 by KRC. KRC is relaying its line west of Nakuru with heavier rails, and work will be completed by mid-2005. KRC is also providing assistance to URC for refurbishing the track between Kampala and the border at Malaba. According to KRC’s Ugandan representative Julius Chando, ...
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Kenya tries again
PRIVATISATION in East Africa is moving ahead, albeit slowly. Although the Kenyan, Ugandan and Tanzanian heads of state were agreed on the desirability of a single concessionaire, Tanzania had already called for expressions of interest. Only a lone bidder came forward (RG 2.04 p72), and the process is to be ...
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Addis Abeba plans interurban light rail
PROPOSALS are being developed for a 100 km rapid transit link between Addis Abeba and Nazareth to relieve transport problems in the Ethiopian capital. Public transport patronage has increased by 43% since 1986, with local buses now handling more than 600000 passengers a day. Although described as light rail, the ...
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NRC is ’dead’, says minister
ON August 7 the Lagos Daily Trust reported that Nigerian Railway Corp had launched ’a massive rail expansion programme throughout the country’, made possible by the arrival of long-awaited consignments of imported track materials that were being distributed to key locations. NRC Assistant Director of Public Relations David Ndakosu was ...
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Angolan restoration
LAST MONTH was due to see the start of work on rehabilitating Angola’s 1067mm gauge Caminhos de Ferro do Luanda. This runs eastwards for 424 km from the Atlantic coast to Malanje, with a southern branch to Dondo. In recent years trains have only been running between Luanda and Dondo.Transport ...
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Ugandan affair
ENABLING legislation has been drafted for the privatisation of Uganda’s rail network, and the government hopes to issue an information memorandum in August. Minister of State for Privatisation Prof Peter Kasene told the Trans Africa 21 conference in London on March 31 that formal bids for a 25-year concession, renewable ...
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Benguela revival in prospect
WE HAVE lost count of the number of attempts made to revive Angola’s 1302 km Benguela Railway that have foundered because of civil war. Once again, efforts are being mounted to rebuild the 1067mm gauge line from the port of Lobito inland towards the Democratic Republic of Congo, over which ...
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NRC reform plan
NIGERIA’s Federal Executive Council has selected the Canadian consultancy Canac to provide technical and managerial assistance for the reform of Nigeria Railways Corp. The consultants were due to start work in June on an initial 10-month study phase valued at US$4m, which will be followed by a five-year oversight programme. ...
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South African machine ready to grind
SPOORNET’S rails are being reprofiled by two Speno 24-stone grinding machines built under licence in South Africa. Grinaker-LTA subsidiary Lennings Rail Services is using the Speno RR24M-12 and 13 rail profiling machines in the five-year contact with Spoornet. Most components were made locally for assembly and commissioning at the LRS ...
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Zambian rail links
CONSTRUCTION is expected to start soon on two 1067mm gauge lines in eastern Zambia, following the receipt of US$100m in grants from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. The long-planned 40 km link from Malawi’s Mchinji railhead to the Zambian town of Chipata will be a comparatively straightforward ...
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Ethiopia outlines international network
LANDLOCKED Ethiopia has launched plans for new rail links to ports on the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, to reduce its dependence on the existing rail corridor to Djibouti. Details of the Railway Development Initiative were announced on January 9 by Transport & Communications Minister Dirrir Mohammed. Two routes are ...
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BBR beacon lights the way in southern Africa
AFRICA: Opening of the Beitbridge - Bulawayo Railway in Zimbabwe on July 15 last year quickly led to appreciation of the benefits of faster transits between Zambia, Zimbabwe and the ports of South Africa. Traffic that had previously rolled through Botswana via Mafikeng and Plumtree rapidly switched to the new ...