Africa – Page 4
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Metro Report InternationalDiesel loco-hauled metro train carries first passengers on Lagos Blue Line
NIGERIA: State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu inaugurated passenger services on the first section of the Lagos LRT Blue Line on September 4, with a limited diesel locomotive hauled service pending the commissioning of the power supply system.
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NewsEgyptian track renewal and resignalling contract signed
EGYPT: A consortium of Thales and Orascom Construction has signed a €300m contract with Egyptian National Railways to renew tracks and resignal the Cairo – Giza – Beni Suef railway line. The 125 km long double-track main line runs along the east bank of the river ...
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In depthViewpoint: The challenge of pricing South African rail access
Predictable and evidence-based regulation will be needed to support a viable pricing model for access to a vertically separated South African rail network under the government’s reform programme. Economist Sarah Truen explains the challenge.
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Metro Report InternationalGreater Lomé Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan under development
TOGO: A Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan to reduce dependency on motorbikes and taxis in Lomé is being drawn up by French consultancy Systra and local partners Artim Développement and AGECET. More than 2 million people live in the capital, representing around a quarter of the country’s ...
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NewsSimandou iron ore railway and port deal reached
GUINEA: The government has signed agreements with a consortium to develop more than 600 km of railway and port facilities to support the export of iron ore from the Simandou mining area.
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In depthEgypt: Safely expanding Cairo’s rail network
TÜV Nord acted as the independent safety assessment body for Egypt’s Capital Train electric suburban railway that opened last year to link Cairo with 10th Ramadan City and the New Administrative Capital. Lead Safety Auditor Karin Seibold explains the company’s role in ensuring the line’s safe operation to Benjámin Zelki.
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NewsTanzania Railways Corp standard gauge locomotives and EMUs unveiled
TANZANIA: The first of the electric locomotives and multiple-units which Hyundai Rotem is to supply for Tanzania Railways Corp’s standard gauge line have been unveiled at the manufacturer’s Changwon factory in South Korea. Guests at the event on July 26 included Tanzanian ...
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NewsPrasa reintroduces Gauteng suburban service
SOUTH AFRICA: Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has restarted a limited service on the Germiston – Leralla line in the Johannesburg suburbs. The reintroduction of services on June 27 follows a 14-month blockade to restore vandalised infrastructure. Trains are currently only calling at Leralla, Limindlela, ...
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NewsAlstom to open train cab factory in Morocco
MOROCCO: Alstom is to build a second factory in Fez, where will produce driving cabs for regional and metro trains. This 160m dirham investment is expected to create 200 direct jobs by 2025. Alstom produces electrical wiring and Mitrac transformers at its existing plant in the ...
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NewsLobito Atlantic Railway concession launched
ANGOLA: Operations, management and maintenance of the 1 344 km railway along the Lobito Corridor were formally transferred to the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium at a ceremony hosted by the Municipal Administration of Lobito on July 4. Present at the event were President of Angola João ...
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NewsDouble-deck coaches find new home in Tanzania
TANZANIA: Tanzania Railways Corp is taking delivery of 30 double-deck passenger coaches formerly used by Deutsche Bahn in Germany. The ex-DB ‘Görlitz’ coaches have been purchased through Lückemeier Transport & Logistik, which is refurbishing then for use in Tanzania. They are suitable for 160 km/h operation, ...
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NewsŠkoda awarded €1bn contract to upgrade and maintain 280 Egyptian locomotives
EGYPT: Škoda Group has signed contracts worth more than €1bn to modernise and maintain at least 280 Egyptian National Railway diesel locomotives. Škoda Group said the two contracts signed on June 26 mark its expansion into Africa. The first covers the overhaul of locomotives over a ...
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NewsMinister blocks Cape Town suburban rail devolution ‘for now’
SOUTH AFRICA: ‘For now we are not in the process of devolving railway services, that is why Prasa is busy building up railway services in the Western Cape’, national Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga told local media during a site visit to Cape Town in May. ...
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NewsWest Africa rail action plan agreed
AFRICA: Transport ministers from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin and Togo have agreed an action plan for the development of an international rail network. The proposed network connecting the cities of Abidjan, Ouagadougou, Niamey, Cotonou and Lomé would have a total length of 3 034 ...
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NewsCRRC DMUs enter service on Lobito – Benguela line
ANGOLA: Three diesel multiple-units supplied by CRRC Tangshan have entered revenue service on the Lobito – Benguela line. The trains are being used on the Ombaka Express service operated by Caminho de Ferro de Benguela; the Lobito to Benguela journey takes 30 min. An adult ticket ...
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NewsStrait of Gibraltar tunnel plans revived
INTERNATIONAL: Spain and Morocco have agreed to restart the development of proposals for a rail tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar. Studies for an inter-continental fixed-link have been undertaken at intervals over more than 40 years, under the co-ordination of state owned entities Secegsa in Spain ...
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Metro Report InternationalTunis finally opens RFR Line E
TUNISIA: The first section of the RFR dedicated suburban network has opened in the capital.
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NewsAlstom Ubunye opens South African welding school
SOUTH AFRICA: The Alstom Ubunye Welding School in Nigel has opened to provide free professional welding training for unemployed young people. It is accredited by the South African Institute of Welding, and will provide theoretical and practical modules developed under the guidance of industry specialists and ...
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NewsPrasa reaches milestone in Cape Town suburban rail restoration
SOUTH AFRICA: Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa restarted services on April 4 between Langa and Nyanga on Cape Town’s Central Line.
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NewsAngolan railway expansion project approved
ANGOLA: The government has approved funding for the construction of a 260 km railway to serve the inland provinces of Moxico and Lunda Sul. The Ministry of Transport has been authorised to award a US$1·2bn contract for design and construction of the line to a joint ...