Rank: Elder Joined: 10/18/2008 Posts: 3,434 Location: Kerugoya
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Obi 1 Kanobi wrote:aemathenge wrote:Extract Copy and paste
Source: The Economist Link: Railways in Africa (Kenia?) Puffed out
Africa’s new railways risk going the way of the old ones
If only governments were as enthusiastic about maintaining infrastructure as they are about building it.
On a continent where almost everything is reused, from mobile-phone parts to plastic bags, governments (Kenian?) seem to prefer to buy shiny new things, however expensive.
Rehabilitating the older line might have cost just 5% as much as building a new one on a new right of way, reckons Pierre Pozzo di Borgo of the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank.
Could this be because the new railway is a dud investment? Its fastest trains will do a fairly mediocre 80kph.
Much as with the old railway, parts of the new line will be single-track, forcing trains to stop, often for hours, to let others pass.
Most absurdly, it is built to a lower standard of load-bearing than most other new freight railways.
Some fret it may not be possible to load four full containers onto each wagon, as is done on other new lines. “They’re getting a third-rate railway for the cost of a very expensive one,” says a consultant.
The new track is costing Kenya about $4 billion, mostly funded by a loan from the Chinese ExIm bank, but how it will be repaid is unclear.
Although only a year remains before completion, not only are tariffs and rates undecided, but it is not even clear who will run the railway.
Kenyan officials have apparently taken to skipping trade conferences of late to avoid answering questions. I really want to scream at someone. But instead, I 'll drop by my Ka'local for a few. I know for certain that the Kenyan technical team that signed the SGR are as brilliant as any engineer elsewhere in the world. The management and directors who approved the deals are equally informed. I am happy for them that they made a kill. May they enjoy their new found wealth, enjoy their houses in Karen, drive the expensive 4X4's, keep three young gachungwa's, drink single malt whiskeys, holiday in France and live with the satisfaction of knowing that they screwed 40 million people, when the rest of us mortals rarely crack 10 over a lifetime. On your behalf and on behalf of the Citizens of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency The President Uhuru Kenyatta has this to say: "Kenya will ignore negative reports from Western institutions on its decision to go big on infrastructure investment".LINK
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