The 382-kilometer Tororo-Gulu meter gauge railway will be restored using Sh200 billion set aside by the Ugandan government through its agency, Uganda Railways Corporation (URC).
The line that has been in limbo for the past 30 years is scheduled to be renovated within a period of two years thanks to the project, which is being carried out by China Road and Bridge Corporation and is being entirely sponsored by the government.
The Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, made the announcement at the Tororo Municipality’s railway station’s groundbreaking ceremony for rehabilitation work.
According to Gen. Katumba, “The renovation is a part of the government’s infrastructure improvement program that seeks to meet the government’s long-term development strategy as outlined in the National Development Plan and aims at increasing the stock and quality of productive infrastructure to support trade, industrialization, exports, and efficient urbanization.
According to him, the rehabilitation will also make it possible to move large quantities of commodities and will lower the price of doing so while also easing traffic congestion and other related expenses.
According to Gen. Katumba, the government expects to move at least 500 metric tons of goods during the fiscal year 2025–2026 thanks to improved infrastructure. If the line is finished sooner, it will be able to serve the oil business since the nation must utilise its oil by 2025, he added.
He said that the government continues to prioritize building the standard gauge railway, and that Uganda and Kenya have a joint communiqué to make sure that the dream is realized.
The Kenyan government gave assurance that it was still committed to ensuring that it extended the same line from Nakuru to Kisumu and finally to Malaba, where Uganda will pick up from, he said. He added that they are finalizing with the Ministry of Finance to see how to complete compensation for the remaining project affected persons (PAPs).
The line is also intended to connect to Gulu Hub, which will serve as a designated area for the transportation, organization, separation, coordination, and distribution of goods for national and international transit on a commercial basis, according to Mr. Bageya Waiswa, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport.
While apologizing for the line’s rehabilitation’s delay, he blamed Sogea, the business that had initially been hired to handle the project, for its unexpected cancellation.
“Offloading traffic on the road is our desired goal,” he added. “Traffic on the road has posed a high cost to maintenance of the roads as well as loss of lives and goods on transit in case of an accident.”
The Tororo Municipality MP, Mr. Yeri Apollo Ofwono, commended the government for supporting the line’s renovation but urged Uganda Railway Corporation to take passenger trains into consideration as well as cargo. He claimed that by doing this, the cost of trade would be settled as it was back when the railway was operational.
