The Sudan-Chad railway was first planned in 2014 and was expected to connect to Cameroon as well however, the project has not begun construction yet. Most recently, the only progress made on the project was a feasibility study in 2017.
The project was estimated to cost US$7 billion and would be carried out by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corp (CCECC).
Reported in July 2014
Sudan, Chad to build a railway at US$2b
A railway that will connect Chad and Sudan and expand up to Duala, Cameroon, will be built following a tri-partite agreement to be made between Chad and Sudan. Funds for construction are expected to come from the Chinese Import and Export Bank, and the two countries will be sending a delegation to China with respect to this.
Sudanese ruling party official Hassan Bargo said the delegation would sign a contract with the bank in respect to this and added that the money would see the railway line expand from Nyala (western Darfur, Sudan) to Ndjamena (Chad) and then to Abahe-Adre up to Nyala (East region). The line will then extend from Ndjamena up to Douala, Cameroon.
Extension of the railway line will see the transportation of goods from landlocked Chad being transported at 120 km an hour. This is because it will link Chad to the Red Sea to connect with an already existing railroad that connects the Red Sea in Eastern Sudan region to Nyala.
According to the official, the project will kick off in October this year. It is said that the arrangement for the project was reached when Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail went to Chad to meet senior officials on the issue.
The two countries have agreed to stop supporting rebels against each other and establish full cooperation for economic and security interests. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir also attended Chadian President Idriss Deby’s inauguration, a bid thought to show support for new relations.
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