Sudan is planning a $640 million plan to repair its 4,725 kilometers of railway system, half of which has been decommissioned. The African Development Bank (AfDB) provided a grant of US$75 million. According to reports, China Construction Engineering and several Gulf companies are interested in participating in the project.

The first phase of the project will be an emergency repair of US$17 million on the lines in use. The second will be to update abandoned lines, most of which are located in the south of the country. This phase will connect the cities of Madani, Kosti and Sennar, as well as Nyala in Darfur. It will also establish cross-border links with Wau in the Republic of South Sudan.

Sudan Railway Network

The African Development Bank last year funded a $1.2 million feasibility study to build a railway between Addis Ababa, Khartoum and Port Sudan. The plan will end in 2022, after which it will be decided whether to continue the plan.

Sudan’s Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim stated that the UAE has expressed interest in funding this route. Walid Mahmoud Ahmed, general manager of the Sudan Railway Company, told Bloomberg that China Construction may be interested in building a route from Port Sudan in the Red Sea State to Darfur to Chad.

Keywords: International Engineering News, Railway Project

The idea of this trans-Sahara railway was discussed in 2017, and the China Railway Design Corporation (CRDC) and China Friendship Development International Engineering Design Consulting Company conducted a feasibility study.Editor/Baohongying