CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

1. This is the Interim Report of the ‘Feasibility Study for Upgrading the Kampala-
Kasese Railway Line’, commissioned in mid-2010 to evaluate three specified options
for rehabilitation and upgrading of the Kampala-Kasese railway line. Its purpose is to
give details of progress made since submission of the Inception Report at the end of
June 2010.

2. The Kampala-Kasese railway was constructed in the period 1952-56 for the primary
purpose of carrying copper concentrate from the Kilembe mine just outside Kasese to
a copper refinery in Jinja, from where refined copper was to be sent on by rail to
Mombasa, Kenya, for shipment to the world market. It was built at minimum cost by
using an alignment running along or across swamps over much of the route, laid with
light-weight second-hand rails mainly of 50 lb/yard (25 kg/metre), and designed to a
steep ruling gradient of 1.5 % (1 in 67) and with sharp maximum curvature of 10
degrees per hundred feet (equivalent to a minimum radius of 175 metres). Constructed
originally to these low standards, the track and infrastructure suffered further
deterioration over the years, so that derailments became more and more common, and
increasing numbers of temporary speed restrictions had to be imposed along the line.

3. Traffic levels never rose above the 149,500 tonnes carried in 1973, including just over
50,000 tonnes of copper concentrate. Increasing economic difficulties in the late
1970’s, leading to effective closure of the copper mine by 1978, and followed by the
war of 1979, reduced traffic in 1982 to only 24,100 tonnes. Following the later war of
1986, traffic in the seven years 1986-92 averaged only 27,300 tonnes per annum.
After 1992 traffic levels rose significantly, due to increased carryings of cement from
the Hima cement factory, so that by 1996 total traffic was 70,400 tonnes of which
over 90 % was cement.

4. The deteriorating condition of the line, the resultant safety issues, and the failure of
low revenues to cover operating costs, were problems that fed on each other, and
eventually forced Uganda Railways (URC) to close down all operations on the line in
1998. Since then more than 50 % of the track and sleepers have been stolen, and there
has been widespread deterioration and vandalisation of buildings and equipment at the
 stations. Most of the remaining track is in poor to very poor condition, and even a
minimum rehabilitation of the line would require almost a complete new railway to be
laid.

1.2 WORKS PERFORMED

5. An engineering inspection of the existing line took place in June and July 2010, with
subsequent visits also being made by individual team members in August and
September. URC are to be thanked for their provision of an effective support team to
accompany the Consultant’s line survey team for 30 days in June and July. Experts
inspecting various sections of the line included the Project Director, Team Leader,
Civil Engineer, Bridge Engineer, Hydrologist and Alignment Expert.

6. Meanwhile, non-engineering activities carried out between July and November by the
Team Leader/Economist, Environmentalist and Sociologist included field visits to
different sites and stations along the line, and programmes of interviews with various
respondents in central and local government and the private sector, and with local
stakeholders likely to be affected by the proposed rehabilitation of the railway.
Finally, as required by the Terms of Reference (ToR), a programme of road traffic
counts and origin-destination surveys was carried out in November 2010 at two sites
on the Kampala-Fort Portal and Kampala-Mbarara roads.

7. Results of all these surveys are presented in this Interim Report and in the
accompanying appendices.

8. The Inception Report (Chapter 4) outlined twelve major steps in the planned
methodology. Progress in completion of the outlined tasks is as shown in Table 1.1
below.

Table 1.1. Progress in Completion of Tasks on Kampala-Kasese Feasibility Study

Task As Outlined in Inception Report State of Progress

1. Full Line Inspection Completed

 2. Macro-Economic Analysis
3. Existing and Future Transport Network
4. Existing and Future Transport Demand
5. Design and Costing of Reconstructed
Railway
6. Railway Operations Model
7. Economic and Financial Evaluation
8. Environmental and Socio-Economic
Impact
9. Possible Extensions to Rwanda and DR
Congo
10. Overall Recommendations
11. Review of Financing Options
12. Reporting
Completed
Completed
Substantially completed
Outline alignments presented in this report
Work currently on-going
To be undertaken
Substantial findings presented in this report. To
be completed once final alignments are agreed.
Broad evaluations still to be undertaken
To be prepared after completion of Task 7
To be undertaken
Inception and Interim Reports submitted

1.3 REPORT STRUCTURE

This report includes an Executive Summary, Main Report, and a number of

Appendices. The Executive Summary presents all major conclusions and issues for
discussion and guidance. The Main Report includes eight chapters. Chapter 2
describes the project line and its current condition, covering hydrology, permanent
way and stations, bridges and culverts, signalling and alignment.

Chapters 3 to 5 are concerned with economic and traffic matters. Chapter 3 describes
recent economic performance, development constraints and future growth prospects
firstly for Uganda and the project area along the railway, and then also for the
neighbouring countries of Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo. Chapter 4 assesses
existing transport facilities in the area, describing the road network, together with
traffic flows and future upgrading plans, and giving details also of air transport
infrastructure, traffic flows and upgrading plans. Chapter 5 analyses past and present
railway and road traffic flows, and develops traffic forecasts for the rehabilitated
railway under the three rehabilitation options specified in the Terms of Reference.

Chapter 6 now considers rehabilitation needs under the three rehabilitation options,
namely:

- Alternative 1: Upgrade to Standard Gauge,

- Alternative 2: Upgrade to Improved Metre Gauge,

- Alternative 3: Minimum Rehabilitation.

These needs are discussed with respect to hydrology, bridges, reconstruction and
realignment of permanent way, and signalling.
Chapter 7 gives findings to date of the environmental and sociological studies,
identifying a number of areas of concern under both disciplines.

Finally Chapter 8 draws together conclusions of the studies to date, and outlines the
proposed way forward for the remaining study stages up to the Final Report.