Passenger rail for Uganda
Posted: 15 Jul 2009, 06:56
PASSENGER RAIL FOR UGANDA
Posted on 10 July 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
Speaking in Kampala on 3 July, Rift Valley Railways (RVR) executive chairman Brown Ondego announced that Ugandan rail passenger service is to commence in October 2009. This will be a facility over and above the obligations in RVR’s concession agreement, which makes no provision for passenger service in Uganda. “We are doing it due to demand and as our corporate responsibility,†he was quoted saying. Trains will run initially between Kampala and Jinja (94km), with the intention of being extended later to Tororo (255km) near the Kenya border. Two 90-seater coaches, currently being refurbished, are to be used. Augmentation to five coaches is envisaged eventually, and even six to eight, depending on demand.
According to Mikaili Sseppuya, writing in New Vision (published in Kampala), Ondego said the railways sector had “turned around†and reached a break-even point.

â€In May, we made a small profit, though this has to be viewed in the context of filling a large gap created before,†Ondego said. Conceding that the concession had failed to deliver on some obligations, he said that infrastructure is being put in place to increase the number of freight trains from Mombasa to Kampala, up to eight a week. 

Ondego said RVR is to invest $US5m “immediately†in the rehabilitation of tracks, locomotives and wagons, with priority being accorded to the repair of bridges, including two between Tororo and Jinja, and culverts. Rehabilitation of the line between Jinja and Malaba (on the border with Kenya) is expected to be complete within eight months, making it possible to use 1,200 ton locomotives. 

For service on Lake Victoria - to renew the transport links between Port Ball and Tanzania (both Musoma and Mwanza) - RVR is rehabilitating the ferry MV Uhuru.
As far as the Tororo-Pakwach line is concerned, Ondego said this presents “a much bigger challengeâ€.
[ In point of fact, the 503km Tororo-Pakwach line does not form part of RVR’s concession. - editor]
Posted on 10 July 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
Speaking in Kampala on 3 July, Rift Valley Railways (RVR) executive chairman Brown Ondego announced that Ugandan rail passenger service is to commence in October 2009. This will be a facility over and above the obligations in RVR’s concession agreement, which makes no provision for passenger service in Uganda. “We are doing it due to demand and as our corporate responsibility,†he was quoted saying. Trains will run initially between Kampala and Jinja (94km), with the intention of being extended later to Tororo (255km) near the Kenya border. Two 90-seater coaches, currently being refurbished, are to be used. Augmentation to five coaches is envisaged eventually, and even six to eight, depending on demand.
According to Mikaili Sseppuya, writing in New Vision (published in Kampala), Ondego said the railways sector had “turned around†and reached a break-even point.

â€In May, we made a small profit, though this has to be viewed in the context of filling a large gap created before,†Ondego said. Conceding that the concession had failed to deliver on some obligations, he said that infrastructure is being put in place to increase the number of freight trains from Mombasa to Kampala, up to eight a week. 

Ondego said RVR is to invest $US5m “immediately†in the rehabilitation of tracks, locomotives and wagons, with priority being accorded to the repair of bridges, including two between Tororo and Jinja, and culverts. Rehabilitation of the line between Jinja and Malaba (on the border with Kenya) is expected to be complete within eight months, making it possible to use 1,200 ton locomotives. 

For service on Lake Victoria - to renew the transport links between Port Ball and Tanzania (both Musoma and Mwanza) - RVR is rehabilitating the ferry MV Uhuru.
As far as the Tororo-Pakwach line is concerned, Ondego said this presents “a much bigger challengeâ€.
[ In point of fact, the 503km Tororo-Pakwach line does not form part of RVR’s concession. - editor]