BEIJING, China | Xinhua | A freight train loaded with containers of goods was departing from China’s northern city of Shijiazhuang to the European city of Belgrade, capital of Serbia, in late March. The train marks the launch of a new route of the China-Europe Railway Express, also the first …
Read More »East Africa’s cross-border electric trains set to speed up intra-African trade
East Africa’s cross-border electric railway line plans are upping the competition for cargo business in the region and helping the region tap a US$3 trillion single market opportunity Dar ea Salaam, Tanzania | BIRD AGENCY | Tanzania and Burundi have floated a tender for designing and constructing an electrified railway …
Read More »Lagos gets a new elevated rail network
The first phase of Lagos’ new elevated rail system has been commissioned and testing will now begin ahead of operations that should see as many as 250,000 people transported daily. Lagos, Nigeria | BIRD AGENCY | The first phase of a light rail system that is set to transform commuting …
Read More »Kenya sets up transport, logistics network to cut business costs
Nairobi, Kenya | XINHUA | Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday established a framework for the management, coordination and integration of public port, railway and pipeline services under the Kenya Transport and Logistics Network (KTLN). In an Executive Order issued in Nairobi, Kenyatta said the network brings together Kenya Ports Authority …
Read More »Gabon’s sole train a lifeline for its people and economy
Franceville, Gabon | AFP | The sky turns from indigo to ebony as the tropical night falls, and the train patiently thrusts through the jungle towards its destination, still hundreds of kilometres (miles) away. The trek has the hallmarks of one of the world’s Great Forgotten Train Journeys — a …
Read More »South African train collision kills three, injures 300
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Two passenger trains collided during the morning rush hour in South Africa’s capital city Pretoria Tuesday, killing three people and injuring hundreds, emergency services said. Two critically injured people were airlifted from the scene of the crash in Mountain View, northern Pretoria, spokesman Charles …
Read More »Two Koreas start landmark journey for railway reconnection
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | A train carrying South Korean engineers and officials crossed into the North on Friday to begin a landmark joint survey to reconnect railway tracks between the two Koreas. Linking up the railway systems was one of the agreements made earlier this year in a key …
Read More »Africa’s largest train-making plant opens in Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday unveiled the continent’s largest train manufacturing plant, a joint venture between the national rail firm and French transport group Alstom. The factory is a part of a 51-billion-rand ($3.5 billion, 3.1 billion-euro) deal between Alstom and the …
Read More »Rwanda, Tanzania agree on SGR from Isaka to Kigali
Dar es Salaam, Tanzanai | XINHUA | Tanzania and Rwanda on Sunday agreed to construct a 400-kilometer standard gauge railway line from Isaka to Kigali in efforts to connect Rwanda, the landlocked east African country, to the Dar es Salaam port. Tanzanian President John Magufuli told a news conference in …
Read More »BREXIT: First ‘Silk Road’ train from Britain leaves for China with whiskey
Stanford-le-Hope, United Kingdom | AFP | The first-ever freight train from Britain to China started its mammoth journey on Monday along a modern-day “Silk Road” trade route as Britain eyes new opportunities after it leaves the European Union. The 32-container train, around 600 metres (656 yards) long, left the vast …
Read More »