Fatshimétrie: ONATRA seeks USD 26 million to modernize rail transport in the DRC
At the heart of the challenges of modernizing transport infrastructure in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the National Transport Office (ONATRA) is currently at a decisive turning point in its recovery process. Armand Ossase, president of the ONATRA Intersyndicale, revealed that the company needed USD 26 million to implement its rehabilitation program.
In an interview with Radio Okapi, Armand Ossase outlined ONATRA’s strategy, emphasizing the crucial importance of this financial envelope for the implementation of their master plan. This colossal amount would not only rehabilitate the Kinshasa-Matadi line, but also acquire new trains to modernize the Congolese capital’s rail network.
The implementation of this ambitious plan would allow ONATRA to acquire six locomotives that would guarantee efficient service to urban railways and the Kinshasa-Matadi line. This approach is part of a broader vision aimed at improving the mobility of people and goods in the city of Kinshasa, while facilitating travel on this important railway section.
Armand Ossase stressed the urgency of mobilizing the necessary resources to implement these projects, highlighting the socio-economic benefits that this would generate. Indeed, strengthening rail transport would significantly contribute to relieving congestion on urban roads, thus offering more sustainable and efficient mobility solutions for the inhabitants of Kinshasa.
As part of this master plan, ONATRA is also counting on the support of the government, awaiting a financial commitment from the State of $207 million. These additional funds would make it possible to acquire six new trains for the city of Kinshasa, as well as four 40-wagon trains for Kongo-Central, thus helping to strengthen the efficiency of the rail network in the region.
By implementing a strategic distribution of the new trains on various key routes such as Kintambo-Masina-Matete, Masina-N’djili Airport and Matete-Kasangulu, ONATRA wishes to offer a diversified rail transport offer to meet the growing mobility needs of the inhabitants of Kinshasa and the surrounding area.
Thus, ONATRA’s vision of modernization and development reflects a clear desire to place Congolese rail transport in a dynamic for the future, promoting sustainable mobility, economic efficiency and the quality of life of citizens. It now remains to realize these ambitions through a collective mobilization of the stakeholders concerned, to build together an efficient rail network adapted to the needs of the 21st century.