Africa Transportation News 2022 Week 22

Kenya is making rapid progress in the construction of its part of the Great Trans-African highway that runs from Cairo in Egypt to South Africa’s Cape Town. The 84km Kenol-Sagana-Marua highway, which runs through central Kenya, is being upgraded from a single lane road to a dual carriageway. It is expected to be completed in six months, two years earlier than scheduled. The roadway connects Nairobi with major commercial and agriculturally important towns in central, upper eastern and northern Kenya. (From AfDB)

At least 300 passengers were left stranded on Wednesday at the Kojokrom train station in the Western Region following the suspension of services as a result of cable theft on the coach. The dejected and stranded passengers had no option but to find other means of transportation to their various destination because the train was immobile (From Asaase Radio).

An ocean of money and opportunities lie in the transport and energy sector. Gad Senyuiedzorm Ashiagbor lays a foundation for why Africa needs to take this opportunity seriously (From ESI).

Comair Ltd., operator of IAG SA-owned British Airways trips in South Africa, grounded all flights after running out of funds and is awaiting further investment. The carrier, which also runs the domestic low-cost airline Kulula, halted all ticket sales with immediate effect, according to a statement late Tuesday evening. The company’s administrators “believe the funding may be secured,” Comair said. (From American Journal of Transportation)

VICENZA, Italy – Equipment for U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in Africa left the port of Livorno May 29 aboard the USNS Yuma. This equipment is a small part of the thousands of short tons now underway across the Mediterranean and Atlantic oceans to several locations for Exercise African Lion 22. The shipments include hundreds of vehicles and military equipment, as well as supplies for associated humanitarian assistance events. (From dvids)

The Department of Transport is considering several policy changes to encourage more environmentally-friendly car usage in South Africa. The proposals are included in a revised white paper, published by the department this past week, and include:

• Stricter parking policies;
• Access restrictions for private cars;
• Higher licence fees;
• Road pricing or area licensing. (From Business Tech)

Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway cargo transportation volumes have continued to register a growth trajectory. This is according to a government official who says this has facilitated the improvement of cargo haulage and efficient performance at the country’s port in Mombasa (From CGTN).

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Friday in Abuja disclosed that it had concluded arrangements to commence the transportation of 2022 intending pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on June 9 (From Guardian Nigeria). 

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has announced the resumption of services between Durban and Merebank after the service was suspended due to the impact of the floods that damaged rail infrastructure. A limited service using diesel traction was reintroduced on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, final preparations are underway to restore services between Dalbridge and Tongaat, and KwaMashu and Dalbridge. (From All Africa)

The Department of Transport sees trains as key for urban travel in South Africa over the coming decades, with the country’s roads becoming increasingly congested. This is according to the department’s recently published national rail policy which details the government’s future plans for the sector. (From BusinessTech)

The National Rail Policy White Paper has a deliberate bias towards local manufacturing to ensure industrialisation and the local production of steel, railway lines, rolling stock and supplies, and the State and private sector operators should procure all supplies from South African manufacturers, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said this week. (From Engineering News) 

• Government urged the private sector to get involved in concessions and third party agreements in the passenger and rail network to boost the sector.
• Government spending is expected to cover only about 30% of the desired investment into the freight rail network without private participation and investment.
• In April, Transnet announced that it will sell slots on its rail network to companies. (From News24)

Delivery of 16 metre gauge locomotives underway. CRRC Qishuyan reports that it has delivered a second batch of two diesel locomotives to Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) for its metre gauge network. Under a contract signed in March 2021, CRRC Qishuyan and China Road and Bridge Corporation are supplying 16 metre gauge locomotives with three different axleloads: 12.5 tonnes, 14 tonnes and 18 tonnes. (From International Railway Journal)

Rail passengers are being warned of significant disruption to services over the bank holiday weekend because of striking workers. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at the TransPennine Express (TPE) have walked out in a long-running dispute over pay amid the cost-of-living crisis. TPE urged people not to travel on Saturday or Sunday, saying it will be running an amended timetable on both days, with a very limited service available for those making essential journeys. (From Bloomberg)

The German company said it has sealed the biggest order in its history to build the world’s sixth-largest rail network. Tracks will connect cities along the Nile with the Red and Mediterranean seas. (From DW & International Railway Journal)

Several people died on South African roads yesterday after a bus rolled when the driver lost control on the N3 in Grootvlei, Mpumalanga, killing 10 people and injuring scores others, reports indicate. According to Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst, medics who assessed the scene found “absolute devastation”, with both the dead and injured strewn around the scene. The incident occurred at 6:16am. Eleven people sustained critical injuries and 54 minor to moderate injuries. (From Sowetan Live)

Six people were killed and about 60 others injured when a bus they were travelling in crashed off a bridge on the N3 highway in Heidelberg on Sunday. The accident happened near the N3 Die Hoek Toll Plaza in Gauteng. ER24 and Gauteng fire and emergency medical services responded to the accident. The bus was found lying on its roof on the side of the road. (From Soweto Live)

In the first week of April this year, the buzz around Swvl was about its entry into Africa’s group of billion-dollar companies. It achieved this by going public on Nasdaq via a Special Purpose Acquisition Vehicle (SPAC) with Queen’s Gambit Growth Capital, a women-led blank-check company, as its sponsor. (From Quartz Africa)

In Equatorial Guinea, the Egyptian company Taqa Arabia, which specialises in energy distribution, has just delivered a first wave of five vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). In this way, the authorities of this Central African country want to meet the energy needs in several sectors, notably transport, at a time when natural gas is becoming important in the energy transition at the international level. (From Afrik 21)

The electric motorbikes of the Indian car manufacturer Mauto Electric Mobility (M Auto) will henceforth circulate in Benin and Togo. These two-wheeled machines will help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the transport sector of these two West African countries. (From Afrik21)

From Ghanaweb

Commercial motorcycles paint a grim picture of the fast-paced lifestyle in Lagos, Nigeria. The constant need for speed in Africa’s densest city has made motorcycles a popular transport medium. Commuters hire them to beat the notorious Lagos traffic. However, only a few people know its origin story. (From Ventures Africa)