Matadi-Kinshasa Railway

Matadi-Kinshasa
Matadi Station (2015)
Route 1913
Route length:	365 km
Gauge :	3 feet 6 inches (unit) = 1,067 mm
Legend 365 Kinshasa East (307 m) to Kinshasa West N'Dolo Limete Amicongo Limete Limete UZAM (Kingabwa) to Ndjili Airport Matete Rifflart Kilembo 338 Kimwenza (330 m) Block 329 321 Kasangulu (400 m) Vindevoghel Bailleux Wolter 277 Sona Bata (531 m) 266 Madima (532 m) Nguvu 247 Kisantu – Inkisi (520 m) Block 236 Marchal (580 m) 16 Mbanza-Ngungu (Thysville) (741 m) 216 Kiasi Pass (669 m) Kiasi 198 Dethieu (454 m) 194 Kolo (439 m) 187 Cattier (420 m) 176 Moerbeke (400 m) Tumba 154 Lukala (390 m) 143 Kimpese (333 m) Malanga Kwilu Block 110 Block 100 93 Songololo (320 m) Cipello 74 Lufu (315 m) Monoliths Fornasari 38 Kenge (265 m) Tombagadio Bousin 8th Mpozo (72 m) (270 m) 0 Matadi (28 m) to the Matadi Bridge Petrocongo 8th Ango-ango

The Matadi-Kinshasa Railway is a railway line in Lower Congo in the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa and an important mode of transport between the Congolese capital Kinshasa (at the time of construction Léopoldville ) and the port city of Matadi on the Atlantic . She bypasses the non-navigable waterfalls of the Congo below the Stanley or Malebo pools . It measures 336 kilometers and is operated by ONATRA . Local trains in Kinshasa province operate the last 44 kilometers .

history

Arrival of the first locomotive in Ndolo near Léopoldville in 1898

From the 1880s, the Congo Free State began to exploit the Congo area , using the large rivers as a transport network. Between the port in Matadi and Kinshasa, the Congo is not navigable for a length of around three hundred kilometers because of the Livingstone Falls. Initially, the waterfalls were bypassed on foot with support columns. Since this was not particularly efficient, on July 31, 1887, in addition to the Congolese Society for Trade and Industry (CCCI), the Congolese Railway Company (CCFC) was founded. Construction progressed under the direction of Albert Thys , who gave the stage location Sona Qongo its name in 1904 (Thysville, now Mbanza-Ngungu ). The company was taken over by the Congo Railway Company formed on November 9, 1889, with a capital of 20 million marks, in which the state of Belgium contributed 8 million marks. On December 4, 1893, the first section from Matadi to Nkenge (40 km) was opened to traffic. The exit from the Congo Gorge through the M'pozo canyon and the subsequent passage of the Monts de Cristal caused particular difficulties . After only eight years of construction work was completed in 1898. During this time 1,800 locals and 132 colonialists were killed. Joseph Conrad , who himself worked in the colony, set a literary monument to the hard work in his socially critical novel Heart of Darkness .

business

Despite the technical and financial difficulties that had to be overcome during construction, the line could soon be operated profitably. For a long time she was Kinshasa’s only connection to the outside world. In the beginning, mainly ivory and rubber were exported via this railway . However, it turned out that the track, which was built in a narrow 765 mm gauge and with tight radii, was subject to certain restrictions. In the 1920s, for example, it was largely re-routed and equipped with sleepers for the Cape Gauge. Where the old route was to continue to be used, three-rail tracks were installed. So on June 13, 1932, it was possible to switch to 3 feet 6 inches without interruption. The newly constructed engineering structures all had a profile that allows electrification. An exchange of land with Portugal in Angola was necessary for the reallocation . Portugal left Belgium 3 km² in the hinterland of Matadi against around 3.5 km² in Katanga .

Operational details

The railway was operated from July 31, 1889 by the Brussels-based Congo Railway Company (Cie. Du Chemin de fer du Congo), and from June 1, 1936 by the Office for Colonial Transport Companies (Office de l'Exploitation ds Transports Coloniaux; Otraco ). The current operating company Office National des Transports (ONATRA) emerged from Otraco in 1971. The track consists of Vignol rails (33.4 kg / m) on metal sleepers and has a maximum gradient of 17 ‰. The railway line measures 366 km, with the branch lines from Matadi to the Ango-Ango oil port and 389 km from the new route to Thysville . The minimum curve radius is 250 m.

Late 20th century

Out and about in the province of Lower Congo

After the road running parallel to the railway was restored in 2000, the poorly maintained and dilapidated line lost a lot of traffic to the road. In a derailment in November 2003, a train crashed into the Congo and ten travelers lost their lives. At that time, eight locomotives were still operational. According to the most recently published timetables, an expensive express train runs twice a week only with first class cars with a journey time of twelve hours and once a week an inexpensive slow train only with third class cars with stops at all stations, the journey takes sixteen hours. It's called Kibola Bola , which means rotten or rotten in Kikongo . A contract concluded in summer 2006 between ONATRA and a Chinese construction company stipulates that the Chinese will rehabilitate the route and the rolling stock, as well as repair rail telephony and signaling. ONATRA then wants to ensure that the railways are regularly supplied with energy sources and use an "aggressive strategy" to regain the lost market shares.

Rolling stock

Beginning until 1907

Small steam locomotives until 1907

66 locomotives (750 mm nominal track width):

• 5 four-axle freight locomotives
• 35 three-axle freight locomotives
• 10 two-axle passenger locomotives
• 16 two-axle construction locomotives

Before World War II

55 locomotives (coal and oil):

• 27 0-6-0 T (Bourbonnais) 29 t each for shunting trips
• 5 2-8-2 ( Mikado ) at 66 t for freight and passenger traffic
• 17 2-8-2 (Mikado) 79 t each for freight and passenger traffic
• 6 2-10-0 (Decapod) of 82 t for freight and passenger traffic

Vehicle fleet:

• 43 passenger cars 1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th 1st class and dining car
• 4 luggage trolleys
• 1530 freight cars of various types

The rolling stock was equipped with an automatic central coupling and vacuum brakes.

2003

8 locomotives (diesel)

Vehicle fleet:

• Passenger car 1st / 3rd Class and buffet car
• Baggage cart
• Various types of freight cars

literature

• Charles Blanchart, Jacques De Deurwaerder: Le Rail au Congo Belge. 1890-1920 . Blanchart, Brussels 1993.
• Charles Blanchart, Jacques De Deurwaerder: Le Rail au Congo Belge. 1920-1945 . Blanchart, Brussels 1999.

Web links

• Congo Railway . In: Brockhaus Konversations-Lexikon 1894–1896, Volume 10, p. 546.
• Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon (1920), Volume II, p. 353 f .: Congo Railways. 1. Matadi-Léopoldville. 2. Stanleyville-Ponthierville. 3. Kindu-Kongolo

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Blanchart, Volume 2
2. ↑ see French and English Wikipedia
3. ↑ fahrplancenter.com
4. ↑ eza.net ( Memento of the original from August 29, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ Le Potentiel daily newspaper , August 16, 2006
6. ^ Louis Goffin: Le chemin de fer du Congo (Matadi Stanley Pool). P. 88.
7. ^ Louis Goffin: Le chemin de fer du Congo (Matadi Stanley Pool). P. 183.
8. ↑ Blanchart, Vol. 2, p. 412