Brundi, Rwanda, Tanzania Signed Agreement for Railway Project

Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda signed a ternate agreement to “fast-track” the building of a 1,435mm gauge railway from Mombasa through Nairobi to Kampala and on to Kigali. In June 2014, Rwanda and Uganda signed an $US8.6 million contract with German consulting firm Gauff Ingenieure Consultancy Services for the design of a line running southwards from its capital Kampala to Kigali. Currently , Uganda indicated that it “remains committed” to this project, but intends to prioritise the funding of a line running northwards instead, due to its “big commercial interest” in South Sudan.

Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania are currently looking for investors to participate in building a new 1,661km standard gauge railway from Dar es Salaam, expected to cost about $7.6 billion.

The Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) has invited expressions of interest for the financing, design, construction, operation and maintaining of such a line, in terms of a public-private partnership.

According to RTDA director-general Guy Kalisa, firms expressing interest will be evaluated to shortlist potential private partners, prior to issuing the request for proposal documents for the project. The new line is to be constructed from Dar es Salaam to Isaka in northern Tanzania and Kigali in Rwanda with a link from Keza to Musongati in Burundi. CPCS Transcom International Ltd is the transaction adviser for the railway.

Source : RailwayAfrica