The rehabilitation of the $301m (about Sh1.1 trillion) Kampala-Malaba Metre Gauge Railway (MGR) line is at 95 percent and will soon be handed over to the government, the contractor, Chinese Railway and Bridge Cooperation (CRBC), ha said.
The phased rehabilitation of MGR started in February with funding from the African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
The first phase included engineering design for the Kampala multimodal hub and refurbishment of Kampala-Namanve and Tororo-Malaba sections totaling 28Kms.
The second phase covered the Environmental Study and Impact Assessment (ESIA), purchase of workshop equipment and rolling stock, including wagons and locomotives, as well as the rehabilitation of Namanve-Tororo, Port Bell line, Jinja Pier line and Kampala-Kyengera sections totalling 245kms.
The railway line, which is part of the Northern Corridor of the East African Community (EAC) linking Kampala to Mombasa, Kenya, is expected to bolster rail services and lower transportation costs. Mr Qin Jian, an engineer at CRBC, said they will be able to hand over the MGR next month as stipulated in the contract.
“We have rehabilitated over 200 kilometres and are at 95 percent. We have fitted everything, including rails, slippers, compacted stones,” Mr Jian said in an interview at the weekend.
He added: “We shall be able to hand over the project in February [next month] as planned because the remaining five percent (28kms) is too small. We want to complete the rehabilitation work on time so that the train can keep moving.”
Mr John Sengendo, the Uganda Railways Corporation senior public relations and communication officer, said in order to curb vandalism at the newly-rehabilitated line, they are going to employ permanent inspectors, and install sensors to detect broken points on rails.
“Vandalism is not only about taking slippers or rails, but also stones. We are also working with the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and local leaders along the line to see that vandalism stops,” Mr Sengendo said, adding that repairing a single rail costs $8 (about Shs30,000).
According to Mr Sengendo, passenger hubs will also be constructed, and they are going to lay a concrete slipper line from Mukono to Kampala, Mukono to Kyengera, and Kampala to Port Bell.
“We shall have diesel multiple unit or DMU, which will carry people so that we can reduce traffic gridlock,’’ he said.
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