Construction is underway for a 300-kilometer rail network in Kinshasa, the capital and the largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Hitherto, a report of the technical feasibility studies for the implementation of the said project was recently submitted. This preliminary work will lead to the implementation stage of the project a part of which concerns the rehabilitation of an existing 75-kilometer segment.
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Reportedly, the development of the rail infrastructure which starts from Maluku through Matete, Gombe, Kintambo, and Kinsuka to Kimwenza, will be carried out in four phases. Upon completion, the project will facilitate the interconnection of the twenty-four communes of the Congolese capital.
The contractor for the construction of the 300 km rail network in Kinshasa
The construction works of the 300 km rail network in Kinshasa will be carried out by the Société commerciale des transports et des ports (SCTP), a publicly owned company that was formerly until 2011 known as the National Transport Office (ONATRA).
SCTP operates railways, ports, and river transport in the north and west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the Congo River and it has associated the expertise of certain multinationals specializing in the railway industry such as that the Chinese Sinohydro, the Italian Italfer.
The duration of execution of the work is approximately 16 months.
Financing and expectations for the project
The financing component of the project for the construction of the 300 km rail network in Kinshasa will be provided by China, Italy, and French donors.
This rail network, once completed, is expected to facilitate the transportation of up to 3 million people per day, thus helping to relieve traffic congestion on the capital’s main roads. Noteworthy, Kinshasa has an estimated population of around 17 million people and it is one of the African metropolises facing permanent mobility challenges.
