EMISSION REDUCTIONS AND LOWER COST LEAD TO RWANDA AND #TANZANIA LOOKING AT ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES
(Posted 12th March 2018)
Information is coming out of Kigali that the Rwandan government is, together with their Tanzanian counterparts, reviewing a key element of their contract to construct a Standard Gauge Railway linking the port of Dar es Salaam via the dry port location in Isaka with the Rwandan capital of Kigali.
During a working group meeting held recently in Kigali was it apparently agreed to evaluate the option to change from diesel powered train engines to locomotives powered by electricity, which are cheaper to run and cause no direct greenhouse gases to be emitted into the atmosphere.
As a result is the original feasibility study now being reworked to incorporate such a change.
Groundbreaking for the new rail line has been projected to take place in late 2018 at which time work will commence to link the two countries by rail for the first time ever over a distance of some 1.300 kilometres.
The source in Rwanda also mentioned that the use of electrically powered trains will increase the maximum speeds for cargo trains from 80 km h to 120 km h while passenger trains speeds are expected to increase from 120 km h to 160 km h, substantially reducing traveling time for both cargo and passenger trains.
The present cost of the project stands at about 2.5 billion US Dollars but could rise should a final decision be made to electrify the line due to the additional installations necessary for power transmission.
Click on the links below for related articles published here:
https://atcnews.org/2018/01/18/rwanda-presses-ahead-with-railway-infrastructure/
https://atcnews.org/2018/03/05/tanzania-merges-rail-entities-into-railways-corporation/
https://atcnews.org/2016/05/18/to-rail-or-to-bail-that-is-now-the-question/
