Railways in Sub-Saharan Africa

World Bank

dc.creator	World Bank
dc.date	2012-03-19T17:23:45Z
dc.date	2012-03-19T17:23:45Z
dc.date	2009-06-01
dc.date.accessioned	2023-02-17T20:46:49Z
dc.date.available	2023-02-17T20:46:49Z
dc.identifier	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000350881_20090710102617
dc.identifier	http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3068
dc.identifier.uri	http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/243408
dc.description	The changed role of rail in Africa over the last thirty years has seen it move from a situation where many of the systems were carrying a high share of their country's traffic to one in which their market share has declined, their assets have steadily deteriorated, their quality of service has reduced, and they are in many instances only a minor contributor to solving the transport problems of the continent. The first railways south of the Sahara were built in South Africa in the 1860's and 1870's, with lines heading inland from the ports at Cape Town and Durban. The networks in what were then Cape Province, Natal and Transvaal continued to develop but it was not until the turn of the twentieth century that large-scale railway development began in other parts of the continent. In almost every case, the pattern was the same, with isolated lines heading inland from a port to reach a trading centre or a mine, and a few branch lines then being built over a period of time. As almost all the lines were constructed under colonial administrations, many of the lines were state-owned but several were also constructed as concessions or, in the case of some mineral developments, by the mining company as an integral part of its mining operation. Nevertheless, the rhetoric accompanying some of the transactions suggests that many politicians believe, or want to believe, that the concession award will be the prelude to very substantial investments by the concessionaires, particularly in infrastructure. To date, this has barely materialized, with most infrastructure improvements being done with international financial institution (IFI) or donor funds. The main issue for most sub-Saharan railways is whether concessioning is just a temporary solution or whether some alternative approach is needed to ensure a long-term future for railway systems providing acceptable levels of service.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	World Bank
dc.rights	CC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.rights	World Bank
dc.subject	ACCESSIBILITY
dc.subject	ACCIDENT COSTS
dc.subject	ACCIDENT RATES
dc.subject	ACCIDENTS
dc.subject	AIM
dc.subject	AIR
dc.subject	ALTERNATIVE ROUTES
dc.subject	ARTERIAL ROAD
dc.subject	ARTERIAL ROUTES
dc.subject	ARTICULATED TRUCKS
dc.subject	AVERAGE PASSENGER
dc.subject	BAGGAGE
dc.subject	BORDER CROSSING
dc.subject	BRIDGE
dc.subject	BRIDGES
dc.subject	BUS
dc.subject	BUS FARES
dc.subject	BUS SERVICES
dc.subject	BUSES
dc.subject	CAR
dc.subject	CARRIAGES
dc.subject	CEMENT
dc.subject	COMMODITIES
dc.subject	COMMODITY
dc.subject	COMMUTER SERVICES
dc.subject	CONCESSIONS
dc.subject	CONCRETE
dc.subject	CONGESTION
dc.subject	CONGESTION ON ROADS
dc.subject	CONGESTION REDUCTION
dc.subject	CONSIGNMENT
dc.subject	CONSTRUCTION
dc.subject	CONTAINER TRAFFIC
dc.subject	CONTAINERS
dc.subject	CORRIDOR
dc.subject	CROSSING
dc.subject	CUSTOMS
dc.subject	DELIVERIES
dc.subject	DEPOTS
dc.subject	DESIGN SPEED
dc.subject	DIESEL
dc.subject	DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES
dc.subject	DISPATCH
dc.subject	DRAINAGE
dc.subject	EARTHWORKS
dc.subject	ELASTICITIES
dc.subject	FARES
dc.subject	FATALITY
dc.subject	FATALITY RATE
dc.subject	FEEDER ROADS
dc.subject	FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
dc.subject	FLEETS
dc.subject	FRAMEWORK
dc.subject	FREIGHT
dc.subject	FREIGHT MARKET
dc.subject	FREIGHT MARKETS
dc.subject	FREIGHT RATES
dc.subject	FREIGHT SERVICE
dc.subject	FREIGHT SERVICES
dc.subject	FREIGHT TRAFFIC
dc.subject	FREIGHT TRANSPORT
dc.subject	FUEL
dc.subject	FUEL CONSUMPTION
dc.subject	FUEL SAVINGS
dc.subject	GENERATORS
dc.subject	GOODS TRANSPORT
dc.subject	GREENHOUSE GAS
dc.subject	GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
dc.subject	GREENHOUSE GASES
dc.subject	HANDLING
dc.subject	HAULAGE
dc.subject	HEAVY VEHICLES
dc.subject	HIGHWAY
dc.subject	HIGHWAY NETWORKS
dc.subject	INCOME
dc.subject	INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS
dc.subject	INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT
dc.subject	INFRASTRUCTURE REHABILITATION
dc.subject	INTERCITY TRANSPORT
dc.subject	INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN
dc.subject	JOURNEY
dc.subject	LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES
dc.subject	LOAD FACTORS
dc.subject	LOADING
dc.subject	LOCOMOTIVE
dc.subject	LOCOMOTIVE AVAILABILITY
dc.subject	LONG-DISTANCE
dc.subject	LONG-DISTANCE PASSENGER
dc.subject	LONGER DISTANCES
dc.subject	MEANS OF TRANSPORT
dc.subject	MINIBUS
dc.subject	MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT
dc.subject	MOBILITY
dc.subject	MODAL SHARE
dc.subject	MODE OF TRANSPORT
dc.subject	MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT
dc.subject	PARCELS
dc.subject	PASSENGER RAIL
dc.subject	PASSENGER SERVICE
dc.subject	PASSENGER SERVICES
dc.subject	PASSENGER TRAFFIC
dc.subject	PASSENGER TRAIN
dc.subject	PASSENGER TRANSPORT
dc.subject	PASSENGER TRAVEL
dc.subject	PASSENGER TRIPS
dc.subject	PASSENGERS
dc.subject	PASSENGERS PER DAY
dc.subject	PATRONAGE
dc.subject	PERIODIC MAINTENANCE
dc.subject	PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
dc.subject	POPULATION DENSITIES
dc.subject	PORT ACCESS
dc.subject	PORTS
dc.subject	PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
dc.subject	PUBLIC RAILWAYS
dc.subject	RAIL
dc.subject	RAIL ACCESS
dc.subject	RAIL CONNECTIONS
dc.subject	RAIL CUSTOMERS
dc.subject	RAIL FARES
dc.subject	RAIL FREIGHT
dc.subject	RAIL FREIGHT TARIFFS
dc.subject	RAIL INVESTMENT
dc.subject	RAIL LINES
dc.subject	RAIL LINK
dc.subject	RAIL NETWORK
dc.subject	RAIL NETWORKS
dc.subject	RAIL OPERATOR
dc.subject	RAIL PASSENGER
dc.subject	RAIL PROJECT
dc.subject	RAIL ROUTES
dc.subject	RAIL SECTOR
dc.subject	RAIL SERVICES
dc.subject	RAIL TRACK
dc.subject	RAIL TRANSPORT
dc.subject	RAILS
dc.subject	RAILWAY
dc.subject	RAILWAY COMPANIES
dc.subject	RAILWAY CONCESSION
dc.subject	RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT
dc.subject	RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE
dc.subject	RAILWAY NETWORK
dc.subject	RAILWAY PERFORMANCE
dc.subject	RAILWAY PROJECT
dc.subject	RAILWAY SYSTEMS
dc.subject	RAILWAYS
dc.subject	REDUCTIONS IN TRAFFIC
dc.subject	RIGHT-OF-WAY
dc.subject	ROAD
dc.subject	ROAD ACCIDENTS
dc.subject	ROAD CONGESTION
dc.subject	ROAD CONNECTIONS
dc.subject	ROAD DAMAGE
dc.subject	ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
dc.subject	ROAD MAINTENANCE
dc.subject	ROAD NETWORK
dc.subject	ROAD NETWORKS
dc.subject	ROAD SYSTEM
dc.subject	ROAD TARIFFS
dc.subject	ROAD TRANSPORT
dc.subject	ROAD USER
dc.subject	ROAD USER FEES
dc.subject	ROAD VEHICLE EMISSIONS
dc.subject	ROAD VEHICLES
dc.subject	ROLLING STOCK
dc.subject	ROUTE
dc.subject	ROUTES
dc.subject	ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
dc.subject	SAFETY
dc.subject	SLEEPERS
dc.subject	SPEED
dc.subject	SPEEDS
dc.subject	SPREADING
dc.subject	STEEL
dc.subject	STONE
dc.subject	STRUCTURES
dc.subject	SUBGRADE
dc.subject	TAMPING
dc.subject	TAXIS
dc.subject	TERRAIN
dc.subject	THROUGH TRAFFIC
dc.subject	TIMBER
dc.subject	TIMBER SLEEPERS
dc.subject	TONNAGE
dc.subject	TRACK CAPACITY
dc.subject	TRACK GEOMETRY
dc.subject	TRAFFIC
dc.subject	TRAFFIC DENSITY
dc.subject	TRAFFIC GROWTH
dc.subject	TRAFFIC LEVELS
dc.subject	TRAFFIC UNITS
dc.subject	TRAFFIC VOLUME
dc.subject	TRAFFIC VOLUMES
dc.subject	TRAINS
dc.subject	TRANSIT
dc.subject	TRANSIT TIMES
dc.subject	TRANSPORT AUTHORITIES
dc.subject	TRANSPORT CAPACITY
dc.subject	TRANSPORT DATA
dc.subject	TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
dc.subject	TRANSPORT INVESTMENT
dc.subject	TRANSPORT MODES
dc.subject	TRANSPORT OPERATIONS
dc.subject	TRANSPORT PROBLEMS
dc.subject	TRANSPORT SECTOR
dc.subject	TRANSPORT SERVICE
dc.subject	TRANSPORT SERVICES
dc.subject	TRANSPORT SYSTEM
dc.subject	TRANSSHIPMENT
dc.subject	TRAVEL TIMES
dc.subject	TRIP
dc.subject	TRUCKS
dc.subject	TRUE
dc.subject	TYPES OF ROAD
dc.subject	URBAN RAIL
dc.subject	URBAN TRAFFIC
dc.subject	URBAN TRAFFIC CONGESTION
dc.subject	VEHICLE
dc.subject	VOLUME OF TRAFFIC
dc.subject	WAGONS
dc.subject	WALKING
dc.subject	WAREHOUSES
dc.subject	WHEELS
dc.title	Railways in Sub-Saharan Africa
dc.type	Economic & Sector Work :: Other Infrastructure Study
dc.coverage	Africa