The Uvinza–Musongati–Gitega Railway is a planned railway line linking the town of
Uvinza
Uvinza is one of the eight administrative districts of Kigoma Region in Tanzania. Uvinza is bordered to the northwest by Kigoma District and Kigoma-Ujiji District. North of the district is bordered by Kasulu District . Lake Tanganyika borders ...
in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
to the city of
Gitega
Gitega (), formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau roughly east of Bujumbura (the largest city and former political capital), Gitega (the second largest city) ...
in
Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
, passing through the town of
Musongati, Burundi, close to the common border between the two countries.
Location
The railway line would start at the town of Uvinza in
Uvinza District
Uvinza is one of the eight administrative districts of Kigoma Region in Tanzania. Uvinza is bordered to the northwest by Kigoma District and Kigoma-Ujiji District. North of the district is bordered by Kasulu District . Lake Tanganyika borders ...
in the
Kigoma Region
Kigoma Region (''Mkoa wa Kigoma'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the city of Kigoma. Kigoma Region borders Kagera Region, Geita Region, Katavi Region, Tabora Region, DRC and Burundi According ...
of Tanzania. The line would travel in a general northwesterly direction to the town of
Musongati, in
Musongati Commune,
Rutana Province
Rutana Province is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi.
It contains the Kagera waterfalls, and the Nyakazu Fault.
History
Rutana Province was originally created on 26 September 1960 as part of national political and administrative reforms init ...
, in Burundi, approximately , from Uvinza.
From there the line would continue northwestwards, an estimated
through Burundi, to end at Gitega, the capital city of the country. The total length of the railway line, which does not always follow the road is estimated at .
Overview
This proposed 1000 mm (3 ft in) metre gauge railway line is intended to ease the transfer of goods between the port of
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...
and the city of Gitega. Emphasis is being placed on minerals, especially
nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...
, which is found in significant quantities in Burundi. Other mineral deposits in the country include
vanadium
Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery-grey, malleable transition metal. The elemental metal is rarely found in nature, but once isolated artificially, the formation of an oxide layer ( pas ...
,
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
,
rare earth minerals,
phosphates
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid .
The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...
,
kaolin
Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...
,
quartzite
Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...
and
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
.
Although plans to build a standard gauge railway on this route have been considered, with the possibility of extending the line 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 normal capital. In late ...
and eastern
DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
,
a narrow gauge railway is envisaged to reduce costs.
Related matters
In addition to a narrow gauge railway line, the governments of Burundi and Tanzania are planning to build a nickel refinery in Gitega. The new railway would transport the mineral ore from Musongati, where most of the deposits are located, to the refinery in the capital city. The refined metal would then be transported by rail to Uvinza, for onward transmission to the port of
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...
for export.
Both governments have set up high level committees to plan and coordinate the implementation of the railway line and related infrastructure projects.
See also
*
Metre-gauge railway
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
References
External links
The East African Railways Master Plan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uvinza-Musongati-Gitega Railway
Metre gauge railways in Tanzania
Metre gauge railways in Burundi
International railway lines
Railway lines in Tanzania
Railway lines in Burundi
Government-owned companies of Tanzania
Government-owned companies of Burundi