Africans are no strangers to trains. In fact, they’ve been riding on trains since the late 19th century - more than a hundred years before the Trans-Siberian Railway opened in Russia in 1916! That’s right: Africa has been crisscrossed by railroads for over a century now. And yet many people have never heard about them. So why don’t we know about these railways and what makes them different from those found elsewhere on Earth?
The evolution of African railways reflects the continent’s historical, economic, and political developments. The first railways in Africa were built during the late 19th century, primarily by European colonial powers. European colonial powers expanded railway networks throughout Africa during their rule.
The first Europeans to cross Africa by train were missionaries. In 1878, two French priests built a narrow-gauge railway line through the French Congo (now called Republic of Congo) from Brazzaville to Pointe Noire, where they hoped to establish a mission station. Meanwhile, British interest in building railways across Africa began when Cecil Rhodes became prime minister of Cape Colony in 1890. He saw the potential for connecting different parts of his vast territory using trains-but only after several failed attempts did he finally succeed at making this happen with his Cape Town-Pretoria line (later known as Table Bay Railway).
Map of the African Railway Network
The first Europeans to cross Africa by train were British missionaries, who in 1879 rode a steam engine from Cape Town to Cairo. The journey started on January 1st 1880 when the train left Cape Town station for its first stop at Kimberley Station. When the British arrived on the scene, it took them a while to realize that they needed to use railways in Africa. The country was focused on other things-like building ports and roads-and there were concerns about cost.
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Railways were built to link colonial capitals. The British Empire built a network of railways across Africa, including the Trans-Saharan Railway, which is still running today. The ships were slow and expensive and many people died from disease on board. The overland journeys were dangerous because of bandits and wild animals.
Railways have been used to connect different parts of the continent since the 1880s. The first railways were built in order to connect colonial capitals, but as time went on and technology improved, larger-scale projects became possible. Although it seems crazy now that anyone would spend so much money building something like this when they could’ve invested instead into roads or sea routes-or even just spent all their money on themselves instead-it actually makes sense when you consider how expensive and time-consuming getting materials out there was back then.
The railway industry is very competitive and political. It has a long history in Africa, but railways were not always seen as necessary: there are many different kinds of railroads in Africa today-some run on diesel fuel while others use electricity or steam power; some are privately owned while others belong to government agencies like the state-owned Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC).
Over the past decades, the efficiency of railways across the African continent has been compromised by outdated infrastructure and limited maintenance. The majority of African countries exhibit a low railway network density, averaging only 3 kilometers per 1,000 square kilometers, in contrast to the 8 kilometers in South Africa and a remarkable 400 kilometers in Europe. Moreover, there is a lack of interoperability among countries, characterized by different gauges and regulations across the continent. The majority of the railway infrastructure remains single track and non-electrified.
The current situation is a result of multiple challenges faced by African railways, which have not only hindered their commercial opportunities but also discouraged private investors. As a consequence, the railway sector in Africa requires from substantial restructuring to transform into a competitive transport system throughout the continent. Nevertheless, Africa holds a strong potential for the development of the railway sector throughout the region. Despite the significant potential of the railway industry, the road sector continues to carry approximately 80% of freight and 90% of passenger transportation in Africa.
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Road and railway are competitive for mid and long distances, but complementary for the first- and last-mile. Finally, it is important to emphasize the strong potential for reducing transportation-related externalities by shifting land transport towards railways. This shift would reduce the reliance on road transport and subsequently lower the requirements for road maintenance.
Africa's railways are disjointed and disconnected. The AUR hopes to rectify things. By 2012 a number of railway projects had been proposed to rectify this, some of which would make connections between international railway systems.
Several railways such as Senegal, Guinea and Tanzania have talked about conversion to standard gauge, though it remains to be seen if talk develops into action. Guinea built one new branch as standard gauge even though metre gauge is needed to take the ore to the port. Nigeria has built one short branch with dual gauge sleepers, and a network aiming to serve the port of Warri is also standard gauge. An extension from Tanzania into Rwanda is proposed as standard gauge, though it starts at a station that is already a container transhipment dry port.
New such lines are planned for Cameroon, Senegal and Guinea. Gabon is already using 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in). The Transguinean Railways is proposed to be standard gauge. Some standard gauge lines in Liberia are to be restored.
Heavy duty iron ore railways in Africa carry much more traffic than ordinary railways so they almost always adopt standard gauge to make use of proven off the shelf technology. A link across the Sahara to Central Africa, probably Nigeria, would also spur the growth of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) connections, which make use of continuous access to the Middle East, Europe, and even China in the foreseeable future.
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Plans by Nigeria's to change convert its 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge lines to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) have accelerated in 2020. Libya started in 2007 building a completely new 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) railway system, albeit slowly.
Technical Aspects of African Railways
Triple gauge supports 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in), 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in). Whatever the advantages of the modern SA3 coupler, it is not as widely used as the AAR and is in the minority. Match wagons can overcome incompatibilities at the price of extra deadweight.
Westinghouse air brakes and vacuum brakes (or no continuous brakes at all) are usually fitted. Dual brakes or piped only can overcome incompatibilities. Vacuum brakes are considered to be obsolete. Electronically controlled pneumatic brakes (ECP) are starting to be fitted on faster, heavy-duty trains for higher performance, and the two ECP systems are compatible.
Most railways in Africa are diesel-operated, but electrification where it exists it mostly conforms to the modern standard of 25 kV AC, with some obsolete systems using the older 3 kV DC. Trams in cities are usually low voltage such as 750 VDC. Dual and multi voltage locomotives and electric multiple units (EMUs) are proven technology.
Loading gauges vary considerably, and through trains would be forced to use the most restrictive loading gauge along its route. The loading gauge width for new standard gauge railways in Ethiopia and Kenya is following the 3,400 millimetres (11 ft 2 in) standard, initially used by Mantetsu and Sentetsu, which has become the national standard in China and both Koreas, then followed by Japanese Shinkansen.
Axle loads vary considerably, depending on the strength of the track, especially the weight of the rails which are generally too light for modern traffic. Crossing loops should be as long as the longest likely train, considered globally. Some UIC standards are 750 and 1,500 m (2,461 and 4,921 ft). Limits speeds, although speeds are less important on minor branch lines.
Confusion and even accidents can occur if more than one language (or accent) is used to operate a railway. Names of stations should be distinguishable from one another.
As of 2007, Namibian railways built nearly 300 km (190 mi) of a line with Angola. Namibia has been using Tubular Modular Track. Tubular Modular Track maintains its track resilience even in harshest sandy desert conditions. Transnet Freight Rail in South Africa uses Tubular Modular Track in the main Ermelo yard on its 70 million tonnes per annum heavy haul coal export line. The continuous support provided by Tubular Modular Track increases rails and turnout life by a factor of two and weld life by a factor of ten (compared to conventional and slabtrack offering discrete support for rails).
Challenges and the Future
While challenges persist, there is a renewed commitment to modernize and expand rail infrastructure to support economic growth and regional integration. The story of African railways is a fascinating one, and it’s clear that there’s a lot more to be discovered about this topic. In fact, there are still many unanswered questions about how these trains came into being and what impact they had on their societies.
Here's a proposed table summarizing key railway statistics in Africa:| Statistic | Value/Description |
|---|---|
| Railway Network Density | Average of 3 km per 1,000 sq km (excluding South Africa) |
| Dominant Freight Transport | Road (approximately 80%) |
| Dominant Passenger Transport | Road (approximately 90%) |
| Paved Roads | Average of 27% across Africa |
| Key Challenge | Outdated infrastructure and limited maintenance |
| Interoperability | Lack of standardization in gauges and regulations |
