Kenya plans to become a driving force in the railway sector following the government's plan to construct a modern railway line that links the Kenyan coast to the Atlantic Ocean Coast in Douala, Cameroon.
The ambitious plan, outlined in the Kenya Railway Strategic Plan (2023 to 2027), sets the precedence for the country to establish one of Africa's longest railway lines.
If the government follows through with the plan, the railway line will be set to traverse at least four countries including Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Cameroon.
A spot check shows that the railway line will cover a distance of 3,453.5 Kilometres.
To put it into perspective, a flight from Mombasa to Cameroon takes around 8 hours while a road trip by car would take over four days to complete the journey.
A report by the World Bank titled Railways in Developing Countries: A Global Review, dated April 2022, showed that Kenya has a total rail network of 2,046 Kilometres and is placed in tenth position in terms of the longest railway lines in the continent.
This includes 2,046 Kilometres of Metre-Gauge-Railway network spread across the country as well as 472 Kilometres of Standard Gauge Railway from Mombasa to Nairobi.
Overall, South Africa has the most advanced railway network, covering most of the country with over 20,000 Kilometres of track. All major cities are connected by rail and the state's commuter rail service operates over 470 stations.
Egypt comes in second place with over 7,024 Kilometres covered across the country.
Sudan Railways Network consists of 5,898 Kilometres of track, with the main route extending from Port Sudan to Khartoum.
Interestingly, Kenya's neighbouring country Tanzania falls in seventh place with over 2,700 Kilometres, including the 1,860 Kilometres railway line connecting Dar es Salaam to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.
Despite this, Kenya Railways Corporation predicts that the upcoming railway line from Kenya to Cameroon will boost Kenya's prominence in the railway sector.
Here is the list of Africa's Longest Railway Lines:
South Africa: 23,219 Km
Egypt - 7,024 Km
Sudan- 5,898 Km
Algeria - 4020 Km
D.R Congo - 3,641 Km
Nigeria - 3,732 Km
Tanzania - 2,707 Km
Angola - 2,693 Km
Zimbabwe - 2,583 Km
Kenya - 2,518 Km
Namibia - 2,382 Km
