Uganda is reportedly planning to revamp its 100-year old railway lines to improve cargo transport in the country.
Uganda Railways Corporation MD Charles Kateeba said that the work will be executed in stages and will entail an investment of €241m ($267m).
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The corporation has reportedly received €21.5m from the EU and planning to raise remaining funds from international development lenders.
The 1,266km meter-gauge rail line was built by the British during colonial times 100 years ago to transport copper from the country.
The condition of the rail network deteriorated due to economic instability and political upheaval.
Kateeba said: “Due to lack of maintenance over the years, most of the network is now in disuse.
“We shall replace some areas which have been either removed by vandals or are badly worn.”
French engineering firm Sogea-Satom has been selected to provide services to revamp the rail network.
The work includes fixing rocks ballast on different sections, flattening sections, re-laying of tracks and repairing 500 freight wagons.
The latest decision comes after Uganda failed to garner funding of $2.2bn from China for of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) regional project.
Kateeba stated that Uganda’s delay in oil production was a factor in not receiving the funds.
Initially, the SGR was designed to connect Kenya’s Mombasa with different parts of the continent such as Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi.
In 2017, Kenya inaugurated its Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway.
China Road and Bridge was responsible for the construction of this $3.8bn project, with approximately 90% of the total funding coming from China.
