Kampala, Uganda | By Michael Wandati | Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) has suspended the only passenger train service in the country due to safety issues along the route from Kampala to Namanve.
This decision was prompted by a serious concern identified by URC’s technical team regarding the Mbuya-Kinawataka section of the track.
Water from the Kinawataka swamp has eroded the ground beneath the rails, leaving only a few feet of support.
URC has expressed worries that if this problem is not addressed promptly, there is a significant risk of the track collapsing, which could lead to a derailment.
While the timeline for the necessary repairs remains uncertain, John Lennon Sengendo, URC’s head of public relations and communications, indicated that the work is expected to take approximately two weeks before services can resume.
“We are doing the gabions in the Katoogo Area where the rail was staring to cave in, because the water was eating into the embankment, having been blocked by the garbage,” Sengendo says.
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He appealed to the people in the area to avoid dumping garbage into the channel because this is the cause of the drainage blockage. “The down side done, and we are now working on the upper side,” he said, adding that “because the reserve area is very small, they are putting the material across the railway line, the more reason why they had to suspend the train services.”
He mentions that another reason for ensuring the prompt start of services is the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations match between Uganda and South Sudan at Mandela National Stadium in Namboole next month, which is expected to increase the demand for train services.
