Africa’s railway revolution in full swing: Part 1
In recent weeks, we have read in the local press a lot about the need to bring the BR Express passenger train back in operation. According to Botswana Railways [ BR], the passenger train service has been indefinitely suspended. The BR management has cited losses as the main reason for this, and this has been exacerbated by the COVID- 19 pandemic which severely restricted movements of people in the country. But lines of BR Express coaches still remain idle on the railway tracks in Lobatse and elsewhere.
Two years down the line, BR cannot continue to blame the pandemic for such a state of affairs. After all, buses are allowed to run at full capacity with passengers sitting in rows five abreast. And some twenty buses a day run half- hourly between Gaborone and Francistown. That means that, on any given day, these buses can transport a total of more then 1 000 passengers in each direction.
Perhaps one reason for the indefinite grounding of the BR Express is the lack of a dynamic, futuristic vision for railways in Botswana. The main line in Botswana, which runs for some 640 kilometres from Ramatlabama to Ramokgwebana, was a part of imperialist Cecil Rhodes’ dream of constructing a ‘ Cape to Cairo’ railway which would link many of Britain’s African colonial possessions. His vision turned into reality, at least in southern Africa; the section of track between Mafikeng and Bulawayo was completed in the 1890s.
This line, like most others on the continent, was constructed during the colonial era. But the Botswana line has changed little in the last 120 years. The country has been an independent sovereign state for almost half that time during which the country progressed from being one of the world’s poorest countries to now being a middleincome country. But it is still a single- track narrow gauge line which is not electrified. Gauge refers to the distance between the two rails; for a narrow gauge line, the distance is only 1067 mm, scarcely more than a metre. This means that along such lines trains cannot safely travel at speeds much greater than 80 kilometres per hour, since at very high speeds the trains become unstable and can easily derail. And being a single track line, trains must wait in remote sidings to allow trains travelling in the opposite direction to pass. And the Crosby Garrett steam locomotives of the colonial era have only given way to heavy diesel locos, not electric ones. So, one can perhaps say that our railway is now more dysfunctional than in colonial days, at least, with respect to passenger traffic.
Since independence, most African countries, including Botswana, have neglected their railways. However, in the past two decades some more enlightened African countries are on a railway rush after 53 African presidents under the African Union, signed a pact to promote railway development. Such countries are now modernising and extending their railway networks. And it’s not difficult to see why. Rail transport is the preferred means of transport – it is safer, more cost effective, quicker, reliable and convenient. And it is best suited for carrying heavy or bulky goods over long distances. Also, it helps economic development and eases traffic congestion on roads. The carbon footprint of trains is also less, especially if they are electrified. Having said this, the railway revolution has yet to arrive in southern Africa.
Elsewhere in Africa, the revolution is in full swing. Many existing lines are now being replaced with standard gauge lines which have a wider European gauge of 1 435 mm; new lines are also now being built with this gauge. Also, many lines are now double track and are electrified and hence trains can travel much faster. In Morocco, the AlBoraq electrified line is the first high speed line of its kind in all Africa and runs for 320 kilometres between Tangier, Morocco’s main port, and Casablanca, the country’s largest city and commercial centre. The trains take just two hours and ten minutes to complete the journey; that’s an average speed of 150 kilometres per hour. At such a speed, a train could travel from Gaborone to Francistown in a mere three hours, in contrast to the BR Express which took some ten hours to do this journey before the pandemic at a snail’s pace speed of just 45 kilometres per hour! And in places, the Al- Boraq train can reach a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour. But that is not all. Morocco has ambitious plans for the future and the line is just the first part of what is planned to eventually be a 1 500- kilometre high- speed rail network in Morocco.
Nigeria is often criticised for being a country where things rarely work. Indeed, Chinua Achebe, a leading Nigerian writer, does not mince his words when he says that the country is ‘ one of the most disorderly countries in the world and is one of the most corrupt, insensitive, inefficient, dirty places under the sun.’ Wow! But this does not extend to the railway system there. Narrow gauge colonial railways are now being replaced by standard track line. One notable example is the 1 340- kilometre narrow gauge line between Lagos and Kano which has now been replaced by standard gauge track.
Electrified trains now run along the Lagos- Ibadan section of the line and they have been praised for their cleanliness and punctuality. Coaches of all classes are also air- conditioned and window seats are equipped with power outlets and USB charging facilities. These trains travel at speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour. Another new standard gauge line now links the capital, Abuja, with Kaduna. Economic growth in Nigeria has made standard gauge lines desirable and so narrow gauge lines are now seeing the end of their days.
The 750- kilometre long line linking Addis Ababa in Ethiopia with the port of Djibouti has also been upgraded and is now the first cross- border electrified standard gauge line in Africa. And unlike flat Botswana, the line passes through both steep mountainous country and desert. The line begins at Addis Ababa, one of the world’s highest capital cities at an altitude of 2 350 metres, and ends at sea level in Djibouti. On the way, the line runs through, and across, countless tunnels and bridges. And, in marked contrast to Botswana, Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in Africa.
Another rail marvel is Kenya’s standard gauge Madaraka line which runs 580 kilometres between the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and chief port, Mombasa. It’s another standard gauge line and there are plans to electrify the line in future. Travel times along this line have been slashed from twelve hours to just five. Also, passengers have a choice of four trains a day. Furthermore, there are plans to link Kenya with other countries in the region, such as South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia, countries that are amongst the poorest in Africa.
Algeria also wishes to join the party. There are plans to build a double track standard gauge high- speed line along the Mediterranean coast between Oran and Tlemcen, a distance of some 120 kilometres. Trains along this line will travel at speeds of up to 220 kilometres per hour. And in neighbouring Tunisia, plans are also underway to modernise the rail network.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in West Africa are all landlocked countries and goods from these countries are transported to the port of Abidjan in Côte D’Ivoire along a railway from Ougadougou in Burkina Faso. However,
Ghana also wants to be a part of the action and a new 1 250- kilometre line will soon be built between Ougadougou and the Ghanaian port of Tema. This will help much to ease congestion at Abidjan.
In Tanzania, a new electrified line will soon be constructed linking Dar- es- Salaam, the country’s main port, with Dodoma the new capital, a distance of 700 kilometres. But this is only the first phase of a massive project which will involve building new track over a distance of 2 700 kilometres.
And Egypt is in the process of overhauling its rail network. Here the government has realised that modernising the country’s railways is essential to meeting the travel needs of citizens and to boost the overall economy. This will involve the construction of high speed lines along which trains will travel at speeds up to 250 kilometres per hour. And, no doubt, other African countries are jumping on the bandwagon.
In contrast, very little is being done to modernise rail networks in southern Africa despite this being one of the most prosperous parts of the continent. Only the Gautrain shines here; this is a 80 kilometre commuter electrified standard gauge railway that links Hatfield, Pretoria with Johannesburg and O. R. Tambo International Airport.