The history of rail transport in the Central African Republic is limited to a now closed short railway line, and two proposed railway projects that were not implemented.
The only railway line ever to be built on the territory of the present-day Central African Republic ran from Zinga, Lobaye to Mongo. It was just 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long, and was in operation from 1930 until about 1960, when it was destroyed in the turmoil of the struggle for independence. [1] Following Thomas Kautzor, operation ended in 1962, when the construction of a 2.50 m deep channel to allow year-round navigation has finished after 13 years of work. [2]
The Zinga–Mongo railway was constructed to 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) narrow gauge. Its operator was the Compagnie Générale de transport en Afrique Equatoriale. [3]
On 11 April 2006, the remnants of the Zinga–Mongo railway were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, in the Cultural category. [4]
In 1958, during the period of autonomy of the Central African Republic within the French Community (Communauté française), there were plans for a railway from Bangui to Fort Lamy (now N'Djamena) in Chad, a distance of about 870 km (540 mi). In the turmoil of the move towards independence, this project was abandoned. [5]
A line from the port of Kribi in Cameroon to Bangui was proposed in 2002. [6]
Modes of transport in the Central African Republic include road, water, and air. Most but not all of the country is connected to the road network, much of which is unpaved, and which centres on the routes nationales identified as RN1 to RN11. Bangui serves as a seaport, and 900 km of inland waterways are navigable, the main route being the Oubangui river. There is one international airport at Bangui-Mpoko, two other paved airports, and over 40 with unpaved runways.
Bangui is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. As of 2012 it had an estimated population of 734,350. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi River ; the Ubangi itself was named from the Bobangi word for the "rapids" located beside the settlement, which marked the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville. The majority of the population of the Central African Republic lives in the western parts of the country, in Bangui and the surrounding area.
Zinga is a town on the Oubangui River in the Central African Republic. The town stretches roughly 1 km long and 300 m wide. It is known for its wooden buildings and as a ferry port, from which boats sail to Bangui and Brazzaville.
A portage railway is a short and possibly isolated section of railway used to bypass a section of unnavigable river or between two water bodies which are not directly connected. Cargo from waterborne vessels is unloaded, loaded onto conventional railroad rolling stock, carried to the other end of the railway, where it is unloaded and loaded onto a second waterborne vessel. A portage railway is the opposite of a train ferry.
Rail transport in Tanzania is conducted by two companies. It has historically used narrow gauge trackage, but planning and construction of new standard gauge lines is underway as of 2017.
Rail transport in Zambia is primarily provided by two companies:
Rail transport in Madagascar is primarily operated by Madarail,
Rail transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is provided by the National Railway Company of the Congo, the ONATRA and the Office of the Uele Railways.
Rail transport in Morocco is operated by the national railway operator ONCF. It was initially developed during the protectorate.
Rail Transport in Tunisia is provided by:
Malawi Railways is the national rail network in Malawi, run by a government corporation until privatisation in 1999. As of 1 December 1999 the Central East African Railways, a consortium led by Railroad Development Corporation, won the right to operate the network.
Up to 2012 Chad had no rail system. Two lines are planned to Sudan and Cameroon from the capital with construction expected to start in February 2016 and be complete in 4 years.
The history of rail transport in Tanzania began in the late nineteenth century.
There are no operational long-distance railways in Mauritius. A system existed from the 1860s to the 1960s. In 1956 the Mauritius Government Railways had 146 km (91 mi) of 1,435 mm track and 47 locomotives.
The history of rail transport in Zambia began at the start of the twentieth century.
Rail transport in South Sudan does not have an extensive rail system and current rail infrastructure, which was constructed between 1959–1962, and what has been left over from the previous Sudan government is in a serious state of disrepair. It consists of a 248 kilometers (154 mi) narrow-gauge, single-track line that connect Babonosa with the city of Wau in South Sudan. The line was left in poor condition after the Second Sudanese Civil War after several parts of it were mined; the line was fully rehabilitated with United Nations funds.
The history of rail transport in the Comoros began in about 1907. The only railway to be built in the Comoros was a 600 mm narrow gauge industrial railway. Its owner was a plantation society, the Société Comores Bambaoa. The railway carried only freight traffic. It is not known when the railway was abandoned.
The history of rail transport in Burundi is limited to a now closed industrial railway, and a number of proposed railway projects that, as of 2012, had not been implemented.
The history of rail transport in Rwanda is limited to three industrial railways, and a number of proposed railway projects that, as of 2012, had not been implemented.
The history of rail transport in Malawi began shortly after the turn of the twentieth century.
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This article is based on a translation of the German Wikipedia article Schienenverkehr in der Zentralafrikanischen Republik as at September 2012.