Rift Valley Railways Registers 70% Progress On Railway Rehab.

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  • 70% work progress on the replacement of the nine culverts between Busembatia and Jinja
  • All access roads opened providing additional infrastructure for the community

Kampala: September, 2012. Early this year RVR awarded the tender to repair nine major culverts between Busembatia and Jinja to Multiplex ltd – a Ugandan Engineering company, at a total cost of 5.4 Million dollars (UGX 13.5 Billion shillings). Multiplex has to date achieved 70% of pre casting work for the concrete culverts with a higher hydraulic capacity which will replace the 9 (nine) culverts that currently have worn out Armco steel pipes.

The RVR Board which was meeting in Kampala took time off to visit the Multiplex precast site in Bugolobi to inspect the progress of the culverts construction. At the site, Mr Ngugi Kiuna, the RVR Board Chairman who led the delegation said “we are pleased with the progress being made to replace the 9 culverts between Jinja and Busembatya.

This project is key in increasing the capacity of goods coming into Uganda as well as improving transit times.

The Board later toured the sites where preparatory works for the installation of the 9 culverts is currently ongoing. Replacement work involves opening up of access roads and preparation of coffer dams in addition to pre casting of the concrete pipes.

The board expressed satisfaction with the pace of the phase-one projects in the five year turnaround programme which include; Work on the 365 wagon rehabilitation project through a KFW grant, and overhaul of 8b locomotives that will significantly improve RVRs efficiency.

To date, 70 wagons have been overhauled at the Nalukolongo Railway workshop and work on locomotive overhaul has commenced.

In preparation for the culverts replacement, RVR has also opened up new access roads to the line with one new murram road constructed in Busembatya, connecting Tirinyi road to the Railway Line. These will serve to improve livelihoods in the neighboring communities.