Rank: Member Joined: 1/1/2011 Posts: 396
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aemathenge wrote: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 Correction: A previous version of this piece said that replacing the older line would cost 5% as much as building a new one. It is in fact 25%. This has been updated Ofcourse a wider gauge railway is more expensive. That stupid economist piece does not even state the average speed you can achieve along the old railway line with DOUBLE STACKED containers 1. the old gauge railway cannot handle crossborder movement, if neighbouring countries have standard gauges, you would have to unload and reload at each border [p 2. The article clearly states that the line is "roughly" alongside the new line. This is true, but misleading. the line focuses on using existing wayleaves to reduce land acquisition costs. It also diverges to reduce sharp bends and requires bridges to reduce inclines / declines. This allows for higher AVERAGE speeds and the wider axle base allows for heavier loads. It is in now way similar to the existing railway line in terms of freight carriage and speed. 3. It will also allow for retrofitting for conversion to an Electric train once out elec generation capacity is able to support that as well as crude oil evacuation along the upcoming pipeline.
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