Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Plans are underway to operationalize the broken Khartoum-Wau railway and resume movement of goods and people along track, top government official has revealed.
The line which was built in 1961 has been severally shut down in recent years due to outbreaks of war. It last operated in 2013 when the South Sudan Civil war started.
Dr. Costello Garang Riiny the Advisor to the Presidency who led a government a delegation to Khartoum to discuss the resumption of the project, said he had held a series of meeting with Sudanese officials including General Abdel Fatah el Burhan the head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and other transport officials on the prospect of the rail transportation between the two countries.
“This is an old project that has long been a plan of the South Sudan government to operationalize the railway to provide services to our people in the Country.
“As directed by president Kiir, I engaged the Sudanese leaders and United Nations in Sudan to see how soon we can bring this railway to life,” he said.
Dr. Riiny who is still in Sudan said: “I’ve also toured the rail workshops and main passenger terminals to acquaint myself with the situation here at the main Station”.
A Sudanese Newspaper, Al Taghyeer quoted Sudanese Undersecretary in the Ministry of Transport, Hisham Abu Zeid saying they, “affirmed their readiness to cooperate to serve the people of both countries.”
The same paper also reported that a previous joint meeting between the Sudan Railways Authority and West Kordofan State had concluded a joint meeting with the World Food Program in the country (Sudan) to discuss an offer submitted by Jam Company to build a railway line from the city of Babanusa to the State of (Western Bahr el Ghazal) South Sudan.
According to reports, Sudanese Al- Basim Railway Company arrived in Western Bahr el Ghazal State in December last year to assess the Khartoum-Wau railway that has suffered damages due to war. The reports also indicated that the company planned to commence rehabilitation and works on the railway line connecting South Sudan and Sudan.
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