The Advisor on Presidential Affairs, Dr Costello Garang, is in Khartoum for a discussion with Abdel-Fattah Al Burhan—the head of Sudan’s sovereign council—over the resumption of railway links between the two countries.

Garang said the restoration of railway transportation is very vital to stimulate economic growth between South Sudan and Sudan.

He said this would encourage trade exchanges that would benefit both countries.

“I came to Khartoum to discuss the reopening of the railway link between the two countries at the Wau border with the Sudanese authorities.”

“The railway line’s operation is critical for South Sudan. “The railway transportation system will ease some of the economic concerns,” Garang said.

The railway, which was established in 1964, was last reopened in March 2010 under the rule of former Sudanese President Omar Al Basir, after it remained closed for years when Sudan’s civil war broke out in 1983.

Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, the railway in Wau was reopened by former President Omar al Bashir and President Salva Kiir of the then regional government of Southern Sudan to reconnect the north and south of the country.

Process begins

A delegation of Sudanese and state government officials in Western Bahr el-Ghazal assessed the railway network in Wau last month to start the rehabilitation process this year and resume trade between the two countries.

The South Sudanese government has inked an agreement with Sudan Railways Corporation to rehabilitate the isolated lines in Wau.

Sudan is envisaging a $643 million rehabilitation of its damaged railway network before connecting it to neighbouring countries, as part of efforts to revive an economy wrecked by decades of conflict.

Sudan wants to repair abandoned lines in the country’s south as part of the second phase of the railway project, which is expected to be finished by 2024. This will revive connections to the cities of Madani, Kosti, and Sennar, as well as Nyala in Darfur’s western area, as well as establish a cross-border connection to Wau.

SRC owns and operates one of Africa’s longest railways. It has a single 1.067 mm gauge line that runs for 5898 kilometres.

The railway lines were first built in 1897, and the majority of the track was built before 1930. The main line of the railway runs from Port Sudan to Khartoum via Atbara, with a secondary route connecting Haya and Sennar via Kassala. There are other branches to Karima and Wadi Halfa in the north.

SRC has 130 mainline locomotives, 54 shunting locomotives, 4187 freight wagons, 910 tank wagons, and 167 passenger coaches in its fleet. Atbara is home to the main workshops for significant repairs of train stock, signalling, and telecommunications equipment.

In addition to the ones in Khartoum, the city has a workshop for wagon rehabilitation and maintenance, according to information obtained from the company’s website.