Africa
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NewsTanzanian electric train service reaches Dodoma
TANZANIA: The 258·2 km Morogoro – Dodoma standard gauge line was handed over with a ceremony on July 25 and the first electric passenger train service ran on August 1 with President Samia Suluhu Hassan onboard. The 201·8 km standard gauge line from Dar es Salaam ...
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NewsMoroccan high speed line extension support contract awarded
MOROCCO: National railway ONCF has appointed a Franco-Moroccan consortium of Egis, Systra and Novec to provide project management assistance services to support the development of the Kénitra – Marrakech high speed line. The contract announced by the consortium on August 1 covers project management, operations master ...
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NewsLocomotives ordered to support Simandou iron ore venture
GUINEA: The SimFer mining joint venture has awarded Wabtec a US$277m contract to supply Evolution Series ES43ACmi diesel locomotives for the Simandou iron ore project. The number of locos is not being disclosed but is understood to be several dozen. Wabtec said the dual-cab locomotives with ...
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NewsTransnet obtains US$1bn loan to stabilise South African rail network
SOUTH AFRICA: The African Development Bank has approved a US$1bn corporate loan to support national rail, port and logistics company Transnet’s business recovery plan, and is considering two targeted grants. The 25-year government-guaranteed loan approved on July 12 will facilitate the first phase of Transnet’s US$8·1bn ...
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NewsGuardian of the Nile luxury cruise train planned
EGYPT: Italian high-end hospitality company Arsenale and Egyptian National Railways have signed heads of terms for the launch of a Guardian of the Nile luxury cruise train in 2027. It is Arsenale’s fourth international rail cruise project, following announcements in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Uzbekistan. ...
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NewsMore coaches to boost capacity on Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway
KENYA: A further 20 coaches which CRRC Nanjing Puzhen is supplying to increase capacity on the 480 km Standard Gauge Railway route from Mombasa to Nairobi were shipped from Shanghai at the end of June. The contract signed in September covers a mix of first, second ...
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NewsProduction of Lobito Atlantic Railway container wagons begins
ANGOLA: South African company Galison Manufacturing has begun the production of 275 container wagons which railway concessionaire Lobito Atlantic Railway has ordered for delivery in three tranches from Q4 this year. The wagons are being made from high-strength steel to provided durability and a low weight ...
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NewsTanzania launches electric passenger train services
TANZANIA: Passenger services on the 201·8 km electrified standard gauge railway from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro were formally launched on June 14. President Samia Suluhu Hassan paid the fares for the 1 400 passengers on the first trip. The journey time is less than 2 ...
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In depthAfrica: Reviving Sénégal’s run-down network
Dakar’s TER suburban service kickstarted a rail revival in Sénégal, but further progress hinges on the direction of transport policy chosen following the presidential election in March. Murray Hughes reports.
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In depthInterview: ‘The commuter experience will be back to its best’
South Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator is tasked with overseeing safe and secure rail services on a network ravaged by vandalism and asset theft over recent years. RSR is also implementing the government’s plan to open up the Transnet network to new entrants. Acting CEO Mmuso Selaledi explains the scale of the challenge to Benjámin Zelki.
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NewsNairobi battery commuter train study
KENYA: Consultancy Systra has undertaken a study into the potential use of battery-powered trains on commuter services between Nairobi and Thika, around 40 km to the northeast. The study presented to Kenya Railways and World Bank officials in April looked at what would be involved in ...
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NewsKenya Railways sets out strategic plan for 2023-27
KENYA: Kenya Railways has launched its strategic plan for 2023-27, setting out a medium-term policy, legal, institutional and regulatory framework to transform itself into the ’leading transport service provider in the region’. The plan includes developing and upgrading rail infrastructure, increasing freight and passenger capacity, expanding ...
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Metro Report InternationalAbuja metro services relaunched
NIGERIA: President Bola Tinubu relaunched passenger services on the Abuja metro on May 29, when he announced that travel would be free until the end of the year. His predecessor had launched a limited passenger service in 2018, but it was suspended in 2020 because of ...
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NewsInland port association aims to get more freight onto South Africa’s railways
SOUTH AFRICA: The Multimodal Inland Port Association has been formed to act as a unified voice advocating for freight modal shift from road to rail. MIPA aims to encourage private investment and participation in rail reform, to foster trade activities that meet social objectives and to ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom to support Kinshasa urban rail project
DR CONGO: Alstom has signed a memorandum of understanding to co-operate with Africa Finance Corp in the development of the 300 km MetroKin urban rail project in fast-growing Kinshasa.
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NewsEgyptian resignalling project completed
EGYPT: Alstom has completed a programme to resignal the 240 km line running up the Nile south of Cairo from Beni Suef to Asyut. This has increased capacity and raised the line speed to 160 km/h. The signalling renewals included replacement of the previous electro-mechanical equipment, ...
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NewsLocos modernised for African lease fleet
SOUTH AFRICA: Leasing company Traxtion has completed a major overhaul of five Class 39 diesel locomotives which it acquired from South Africa’s Transnet Freight Rail as part of a strategy of expanding its fleet to meet a growing demand for rail freight services in Sub-Saharan Africa. ...
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NewsVelaro EGY high speed train for Egypt on test
Source: Siemens Mobility EGYPT: The first of the Velaro EGY high speed trainsets which Siemens Mobility is to supply to Egypt is undergoing dynamic testing at the Wegberg-Wildenrath circuit in Germany ahead of delivery later this year. Siemens said the start of testing marked ‘a big ...
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Metro Report InternationalCairo metro line 3 Phase 3C opens
EGYPT: Phase 3C of Cairo metro Line 3 opened for passenger services on May 15. The extension runs 7 km from Kit-Kat to Cairo University in Giza with three underground and two elevated stations, and takes Line 3 to 41·2 km with 34 stations in total. ...
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NewsPresident unveils Sierra Leone iron ore railway locos
SIERRA LEONE: President Julius Maada Bio attended the unveiling of 10 diesel locomotives which CRRC Ziyang has supplied for the 197 km railway linking Leone Rock Metal Group’s New Tonkoliri Iron Mine with the port of Pepel. The locos were unveiled on ...