First railway in Africa

Other railway topics related to the rest of Africa
Post Reply
User avatar
John Ashworth
Site Admin
Posts: 23606
Joined: 24 Jan 2007, 14:38
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Contact:
Contact John Ashworth

First railway in Africa

Post by John Ashworth »

I always thought (probably like many others) that the first railway in Africa was in South Africa in 1859 (Wikipedia). However by chance I read today that Africa's first railway was started in 1852 in Alexandria, Egypt, by Abbas I, the Egyptian ruler. He was driven by a desire to bring Egypt into line with Europe and to stimulate trade (BBC). Presumably South Africa's railway was the first in sub-Saharan Africa.
Image
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Rest of Africa - Other Railway Topics”