Feature: Rwandan residents upbeat about regional railway project

Francoise, a Rwandan business woman in a recent interview with Xinhua showed the thumbs-up sign as she talked about the proposed standard gauge railway line which will connect the East Africa in near future.

She said that residents will no longer use buses to go to Kampala or Nairobi but would just commute by train as there will be less fatigue and the residents will have a community that indeed befits its name, coming together.

"There is movement between Kigali and Kampala by bus and air transport but railway transport to Rwanda will be more practical and sensible. The project is exciting indeed."

The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project set to run from the port city Mombasa of Kenya to Rwanda's capital Kigali through Uganda is a linchpin of the East Africa's modernization program.

It is regarded as the backbone of the East Africa's public transport system and a key component of growth.

"Delays are normal due to budgetary constraints for big regional projects, but the benefits will be immense once this project is complete," said Eric Komugisha, an engineering graduate in Kigali.

He added that the government is doing its best to make business and travel for people convenient.

Komugisha said that he is one of numerous Kigali residents who travel to Kampala, Uganda, often for business, and the distance is tiring by road.

"The project will redefine the concept of regional transportation, providing Rwandans and visitors with a fast world- class transportation system," said Komugisha.

China in May 2014 signed a deal with Kenya to build a 3.8 billion U.S. dollars rail link between Mombasa and the capital Nairobi, the first phase of a line that will eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

Construction on Kenyan side started in October 2014 will take three and half years to complete.

Once the Mombasa-Nairobi line is completed, construction would begin to link the East Africa's largest economy with Kampala, Kigali, Bujumbura and Juba.

Rwanda, a land locked country, is seeking to assume a more assertive regional role, and has been at the center of efforts to implement regional projects.

Rwandan Lower Chamber of Parliament last week endorsed a draft law authorizing the ratification of the Nairobi Protocol on the development and operation of a standard gauge railway under Northern Corridor Integration Project.

The Nairobi tripartite agreement between the three countries commits partner states to jointly develop the railway and underlines the implementation process, including sufficient budgetary allocation.

Monique Mukaruliza, Rwanda's national coordinator of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects in the President's office, explained that partner states have agreed to jointly source funding for the infrastructure projects.

She said preparation of bankable projects is ongoing for infrastructure projects.

According to Mukaruliza, a detailed business plan for the standard gauge railway project indicating it is a viable project with unit cost and economic viability.

"The standard gauge railway is expected to provide efficient and cost effective rail transport for both freight and passengers across the region. It would reduce the cost of doing business by reducing the cost of transport, which could turn the East African region into a competitive business hub," Mukaruliza told Xinhua in a interview.

"It is economically a very important project."

Rwanda's State Minister for Transport, Alexis Nzahabwanimana said by March 2016, areas where the railway line would pass will have been demarcated. Rwanda needs about 1.2 billion U.S. dollars to meet its cost of the project.

Nzahabwanimana said bidding excise is ongoing to find suitable contractor for Uganda-Rwanda side. This exercise will also include underlining precision for the railway line pass as well as expropriation procedures.

A contractor for the project should have been determined before June this year. Endi