The East African Railway Master Plan is a proposal for rejuvenating existing railways serving Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and extending them initially to Rwanda and Burundi and eventually to South Sudan, Ethiopia and beyond. The plan is managed by infrastructure ministers from participating East African Community countries in association with transport consultation firm CPCS Transcom.
East Africa, and indeed Africa in general, uses several gauges which would cause problems if railways of different gauges meet. The following gauges are used by existing railways in the area:
3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge Tanzania (south), Zambia, Mozambique, South Sudan, Sudan.
1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) Meter gauge Tanzania (north), Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti.
950 mm (3 ft 1 3⁄8 in) Eritrea
1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Standard gauge various new and rebuilt lines
The first of the proposed regional railway lines, the Mombasa-Nairobi-Kampala-Kigali-Bujumbura Railway would use standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) railway.
The following are some of the proposed railway lines under the plan; all are standard gauge:
- Mombasa-Bujumbura Line; passes through Nairobi, Rongai, Tororo, Kampala, and Kigali.
- Nairobi-Addis Ababa Line; passes through Garissa.
- Lamu-Juba Line; passes through Garissa.
- Nairobi-Juba Line; passes through Garissa.
- Nairobi-Kisumu Line; passes through Rongai
- Kampala-Kisangani Line; passes through Kasese
- Kisangani-Bujumbura Line; passes through Kasese, Kampala, and Kigali
- Tororo-Juba Line; passes through Gulu, with spur to Pakwach at Gulu.
- Kisumu-Juba Line; passes through Rongai
- Kampala-Juba Line; passes through Tororo, and Gulu
- Juba-Addis Ababa Line; passes through Garissa
- Dar es Salam-Burundi and Rwanda Line
2013
November 2013, Kenya launches the Standard gauge Mombasa to Bujumbura line.
2014
May 2014, signing ceremony for funding of the construction of the Standard gauge Mombasa–Nairobi section between the government of Kenya and the government of the People's Republic of China.
August 2014, Uganda awards the contract of the construction of the Malaba–Kampala section of the standard gauge section to the Chinese firm, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC). The contract is worth an estimated US $8 billion (USh 20 trillion).
2015
March 2015, Uganda on Monday 30 March 2015, signs contract with China Harbour Engineering Company Limited, to build standard gauge railway from Malaba to Kampala and from Kampala to Rwandese border. Contract includes construction of Kampala to Kasese Railway Line. Not clear if Kampala to Nimule Line is included.
March 2015, Tanzania on Monday 30 March 2015, announced plans to build a $14.2 billion rail network under a plan that Transport Minister Samuel Sitta called "the single biggest project ever to be implemented by the Tanzanian government since our country's independence." The plan calls for the construction of a railroad from Rwanda and Burundi to Dar es Salam and from the capital to the northern and southern parts of the country.
2016
October 2016, the electrified standard-gauge Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway begins freight service, with passenger service scheduled for early 2017.
October 2016, President Uhuru Kenyatta launches construction of phase 2A, a 120 km link between Nairobi and Naivasha.
November 2016, Civil works completed on the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge link, and service is scheduled to begin on 1 June 2017.
2017
January 2017, The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is declared fully completed and is officially inaugurated.
Map Showing the Proposed Railway Lines Across East Africa At BBC United Kingdom
Map of the Standard Gauge Mombasa-Bujumbura Railway Line At Railpage.com.au
East Africa SGR Schematic Map
Burundi Map
Rwanda Map
Tanzania Map
Kenya Map
Uganda Map
