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Railways
of Africa
UGANDA AND KENYA RAILWAY
CONNECTION
From Prof. Wolfgang
Thome|
The Ugandan and Kenyan governments have
agreed to go ahead with the building of a
new standard gauge railway line from
Mombasa via Nairobi and the common border
further into Uganda, against reportedly
spirited opposition of the World Bank and
other development partners. Their
preferred option was the 'upgrade' of the
existing line, which was built 110 years
ago, called 'the Lunatic Express' at the
time and winds its way along a route,
which a century ago was the only viable
one in the absence of large scale earth
and rock moving equipment or bridge
technology able to span larger valleys.
Uganda in particular
has had very bad experiences with such
meddling, as in the 1990's, when
government wanted to build two additional
hydro electric dams at once, World Bank
and other consultants told the country
there would be no demand for such an
increase in capacity. Years later the
country was plunged into darkness when the
existing dam in Jinja had to partially
shut down owing to low water levels of
Lake Victoria, belying the 'experts' which
had misdirected the country. Hence, it
seems the two governments are now
determined to have their way with this
huge infrastructural project to make
import and export transportation more
affordable, move heavy traffic from the
road to the rail and cut the long transit
times to no more than a day, considering
the time an express freight train would
need to travel from Mombasa to Kampala on
a new rail track, using new technology.
The 'defeated' development partners, whose
'studies' were tossed aside, predictably
went on the offensive though, querying the
vision and the availability of ready
finance, all in all sowing doubt to
belatedly try and 'derail the new railway
line'. Rift Valley Railways' performance
also came under fire at the bilateral
meeting, as the share of cargo transported
has fallen to only 10 percent overall,
down from some 16 percent at the time RVR
took charge some years ago.
On a more humorous
note, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni
was quoted in the media of saying the old
railway 'is only fit for the museum'.
Watch this space for future updates on
these exciting new developments for the
Eastern African rail sector.
 Franco
- Ethiopian Railway from Addis Ababa to
Djibouti on the Horn of Africa
by
Jerry W. Bird
Given Aladdin's 3
wishes I would: (1) Restore Emperor Haile
Sellasie's original 'Lion of Judah'
railway engine that's standing all alone
in the train yard. (2) Hook it up to the
Emperor's prized set of antique French and
British crafted coaches, and (3) Operate a
twice daily luxury tour on the
Franco-Ethiopian Railway. Built in the
1930s, the 482 mile line stretches from
Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, via
Nazaret, Rift Valley and Dire Dawa, to
Djibouti, a French protectorate on the
Gulf of Aden. In a 10 -minute BBC
interview at the Gare (Railway Station) I
commented, "Think of the much needed
income such a packaged tour would generate
for the Ethiopian economy.
Continued
 Blue
Train with White Glove
Service
by
Muguette
M. Goufrani
While
in Johannesburg this spring with
Minah Makhoto
and Queen Mokgopo of
ATA's Gauteng
Chapter,
we had the opportunity of visiting the
main railway station and Blue Train's
impressive head office facilities. During
this important meeting, our editors were
given a thorough update on the company's
newest programs and facilities. I have
always considered the Blue Train a
lifetime experience . . . land cruising
across South Africa. Plans are being made
this summer for
 a
special series of rail tours organized by
our magazine and participating ATA
chapters. Watch for
news! For years
I had read that South Africa held many
pleasures for those of an adventurous
spirit or romantic nature. So one summer,
taking a month's vacation from my job as a
travel agent in Ivory Coast, West Africa,
I headed south. Here at last was my chance
to spend some leisurely, laid back weeks
getting to know that fascinating country
surrounding the Cape. While the sights and
delights were many and varied, the epitome
was my experience aboard the famous Blue
Train. It was like the finest luxury
cruise, sailing across a sea of
ever-changing landscapes . Yet there was
time and space to savor every waking
moment.(photos to come) I managed to read
some pamphlets about the line's history,
which spans over 50 years. Back in 1928,
it became the first luxury train in South
Africa.
Continued
Cape
Town to Pretoria on Rovos Rail, Pride of
Africa
by Jerry W.
Bird
"The
design of the train has given us suites
considerably larger than the world's
famous trains such as the Orient Express,
the Blue Train, Royal Scotsman in England
and El Andalus in Spain." Rohan
Vos
 One
of the first lessons one learns on
entering the wonderful world of Rovos Rail
is that this "travel opportunity of a
lifetime" is not just a South African
experience -- its routes extend to five
other countries on a network of steel
rails. For example, there's an annual
excursion to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,
which many rave about. On this cool
January morning, however, the destination
is Pretoria, South Africa's capital city
and headquarters of Rovos Rail, the Pride
of Africa. Our leisurely two and a half
day trip north through the country's
heartland, allows ample time to relax, lay
back, sip the wine, smell the roses, think
lofty thoughts and get to know some
interesting people. Daniel Dunn, one of
the Western Cape's best informed tour
guides, drove us to the Cape Town station,
where Rovos Rail's owner
Rohan
Vos
(right) and Sales Manager David Patrick
greeted us, as our baggage was whisked
away in a flash
What a way to
celebrate the New Year! As we joined
the other passengers assembled on the
red-carpeted platform, a traditional toast
of South African champagne and orange
juice set the mood, while a trio of
violinists provided soft, soothing
classical music -- a fitting background
for such a memorable send off. At the
microphone Mr. Vos gave a hearty and
humorous "bon voyage," announcing each
guest's name in turn as we boarded the
train. Many nations were represented that
morning - the UK, Norway, Italy,
Australia, USA, Switzerland, Spain,
Germany, France, South Africa and Canada.
These vintage coaches have carried royalty
on past tours, and we soon discovered
there was a European countess among us,
which reflects the company's claim "the
most luxurious train in the world. A mild
thunderstorm was brewing above Table
Mountain, and as rain began to beat on the
windows, the train pulled away from Cape
Town station. Have no fear, I had a
feeling that the trip would be even more
enjoyable, looking out from our cozy
cocoon on wheels. My intuition proved to
be quite true.
continued
Discovering
Casablanca
by
Jerry W. Bird
As
originator of a travel series
called
Railways
of the World,
going to
Casablanca, Morocco's largest city, by
rail was a wonderful way to start off the
week and celebrate the new year. We
enjoyed the journey so completely that the
route from Marrakech (3 hours) seemed far
too short. However, as we soon learned
from the staff on board, visitors can
travel between many of Morocco's principal
cities by rail. That includes the Northern
port of Tangier, a few miles from Spain
with its famous Talgo Train
service.
We were on our way to visit Benachir Akli
of Olive Branch tours who worked with ATA
on the last two great events hosted by
Morocco National tourism
Board.
As
our friend will agree, Rail Travel is
still one of the most practical,
inexpensive and relaxing of all modes
on
transportation, and this route to
Casablanca was a shining example of price
plus convenience. We traveled in a modern,
first class coach, enjoying the privacy of
a 6-seat compartment all to ourselves,
with ample overhead storage for luggage
and carry-ons. The one way tickets
purchased at the counter without
reservations were less than $15 in U.S.
currency.
A simple lunch was
served on board, and the price was
nominal. I settled back in the sofa-like
seating determined to savor every moment
and take in the scenery like a passing
parade, which is exactly what it was. The
views were varied and unforgettable, from
scenes of shepherds and flocks that seemed
right out of the bible's Old Testament, to
multi-layered desert vistas, lush grassy
plains in the foothills country and modern
city scapes as we approached our
destination. Cattle, sheep and camels
grazing side by side was quite different
than your typical pastoral scene. Both the
Marrakech and Casablanca terminals are
clean, well maintained and convenient to
taxis and other transportation from the
heart of the city (this keeps the stress
level low and the pleasure scale high). We
were in and out of the railway terminal
and on our way by Petite Taxi to the
Residence Casablanca Apart'Hotel within a
very few minutes of arrival. Quite a
change from the average plane trip, where
it would takes us that long just to reach
the arrivals area to retrieve our luggage.
Above photo:
Friendly staff to greet you at the
Casablanca Appart'Hotel. continued
Jerry W. Bird is President of ATA
Canada Chapter, Editor and Publisher of
Africa Travel Magazine, and Webmaster for
the ATA site www.africa-ata.org. He is
also Publisher of Air Highways Magazine,
the Journal of Open Skies, featuring
aviation, tourism, transportation and
business worldwide. His career began with
the Edmonton Journal Daily Newspaper, and
expanded into the full spectrum of media -
radio, television, magazines and Internet.
He has won international awards for
creativity in audio visual and print
production.
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