The Isaka–Kigali Standard Gauge Railway is a planned railway line linking the town of

Isaka Isaka is a small town and station on the narrow-gauge Tanzania Railways, Mwanza railway line of Tanzania which connects to the seaport of Dar es Salaam. Transport It is located in Kahama Rural District of Shinyanga Region. In the 1980s a dr ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

to the city of

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relativ ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

Location

The railway line would start at the inland container depot (ICD) at

, in the

Kahama Rural District Kahama Rural District is one of the five districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. Its administrative centre is the town of Kahama. The district consists of two separate parts, divided by Kahama Urban District. The area to the northeast is ...

Shinyanga Region Shinyanga Region (''Mkoa wa Shinyanga'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions. The region covers a land area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nati ...

, in Tanzania. The line would travel in a general northwesterly direction to the border town of

Rusumo, Rwanda Rusumo, is a town in Kirehe District in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. Location Rusumo is located in the southern part of Eastern Province, at the international border with Tanzania, approximately , southeast of Rwamagana, the location of th ...

, in

Kirehe District Kirehe is a district (''akarere'') in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Kirehe town (which is usually known as Rusumo, being the major settlement of the former Rusumo district). Geography The district comprises areas in the far south-e ...

in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. From here the line would continue westward, through Rwanda, to end at Kigali, the capital and largest city of the country. The total length of the railway line is estimated at about .

Overview

This 1435 mm (4 ft in) railway line is intended to ease the transfer of goods between the port of

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (, ; from ) is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of the Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over 7 million people, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa by population and the ...

and the city of Kigali, and subsequently to

Bujumbura Bujumbura (; ), formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton and tin ore. Bujumbura was formerly the country's political capital. In la ...

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

and to

Goma Goma is a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the North Kivu, North Kivu Province; it is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu and shares borders with the Bukumu Chiefdo ...

in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. Goods would either travel to Isaka from Dar es Salaam on the existing narrow-gauge railway line, or on the Dar es Salaam–Mwanza Standard Gauge Railway when completed. After offloading at the existing internal container depot (ICD) at Isaka, the goods would be loaded on this standard gauge railway line for transport to

. The line is part of the wider

East African Railway Master Plan The East African Railway Master Plan is a proposal for rejuvenating the railways serving Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, and building new railways to serve Rwanda and Burundi. The objective is to further the economic development of East Africa by in ...

Construction

The construction is expected to be financed jointly by the governments of Tanzania and Rwanda. As of January 2018, the feasibility studies for this project have been concluded. Construction is expected to start in October 2018 at an estimated total cost of US$2.5 billion. The Isaka–Rusumo section, measuring approximately of relatively flat terrain in Tanzania, will cost a total of US$942 million. The more mountainous Rusumo–Kigali section in Rwanda, measuring approximately , will cost a total of US$847 million. Burundi has put its standard gauge railway project on hold. In March 2018,

The EastAfrican ''The EastAfrican'' is a weekly newspaper published in Kenya since 7 November 1994, by the Nation Media Group, which also publishes Kenya's national ''Daily Nation''. The ''EastAfrican'' also circulates in the other countries of the African Grea ...

reported that both countries had agreed to change the railway design to accommodate electric locomotives which are faster than the original diesel-powered equipment. In April 2018, the same newspaper further reported that the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

had expressed its willingness to fund this project.

In Rwanda

In January 2018, the

government of Rwanda A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a mea ...

allocated space in

Ndera Ndera is one of the 15 sectors that make up the district of Gasabo found in kigali city. It is about from the capital. The sector is popular due to the location of Ndera Neuropsychiatric Teaching Hospital (Caraes Ndera) which is the referral ...

, approximately , by road, east of Kigali city center, on which the passenger terminal of the SGR will be built. The cargo terminal will be built in

Masaka Masaka is a city in the Central Region, Uganda, Buganda Region in Uganda, west of Lake Victoria. The city is the headquarters of Masaka District. Location Masaka is approximately to the south-west of Kampala on the highway to Mbarara. The ...

, another neighborhood, approximately , by road, south-east of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

Kigali City Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relativ ...

. Rwanda has plans to extend the SGR to Bugesera International Airport. In December 2018, the New Times newspaper reported that the budgeted cost for the Rwanda section had increased to US$1.3 billion.

In Tanzania

The standard gauge railway from

Mwanza Mwanza City, also known as Rock City to the residents, is a port city and capital of Mwanza Region on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in north-western Tanzania. With an urban population of 1,104,521 and a population of 3,699,872 in the region ...

is being built in sections. The Dar es Salaam to

Morogoro Morogoro is a city located in the eastern part of Tanzania, approximately 196 kilometers (122 miles) west of Dar es Salaam. Retrieved on November 24, 2011. It serves as the capital of the Morogoro Region. Informally, it is referred to as ''Mji ...

section is under construction. In September 2017, a firm from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

was awarded a second contract worth US$1.92 billion to construct the line between Morogoro and Makutupora. The

government of Tanzania The politics of Tanzania takes place in a framework of a unitary state, unitary presidential system, presidential Democracy, democratic republic, whereby the President of Tanzania is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party ...

has advertised for designing and building services for the Makutupora-

Tabora Tabora is the capital of Tanzania's Tabora Region and is classified as a municipality by the Tanzanian government. It is also the administrative seat of Tabora Urban District. According to the 2012 census, the district had a population of 226, ...

sections of the railway line. In July 2018, the

Trade and Development Bank The Trade and Development Bank (TDB), formerly the PTA Bank, is a trade and development financial institution operating in eastern and southern Africa. TDB is the financial arm of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), al ...

pledged to lend US$200 million towards the establishment of the "Central Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway Line".

References

External links

Rwanda Bypasses Uganda For Its Own Standard Gauge Railway Line
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaka-Kigali Standard Gauge Railway Standard-gauge railways in Tanzania Standard-gauge railways in Rwanda International railway lines Railway lines in Tanzania Railway lines in Rwanda Government-owned companies of Tanzania Government-owned companies of Rwanda