Sudan Railways Corporation
The Sudan Railways Corporation is the government body that owns and operates the railway network in Sudan, operating as a semi-governmental corporation affiliated with the Ministry of Transport. The network began for military purposes: the military line built between 1897 and 1899 to connect Wadi Halfa with Khartoum was handed over to the Government of Sudan in 1900, and formed the basis of a system most of which was completed by 1930. The first section of the current network was built between Wadi Halfa and Abu Hamad in the late 1890s during Kitchener's campaign, then extended to Atbara, and after 1898 continued to Khartoum, which it reached on the last day of 1899, and the 1067 mm gauge was adopted as the basis for all subsequent main lines. In 1904 construction began on a new line from Atbara to the Red Sea, reaching Port Sudan in 1906 to connect Khartoum directly with maritime transport. The network expanded south to Sennar then west to El Obeid in 1911, and in the 1920s the Hayya–Kassala–Gedaref–Sennar branch was established, then the western extensions were completed to Nyala in 1959 and Wau in 1961. The network is described as one of the longest railway networks in Africa, with its main line from Port Sudan via Atbara to Khartoum, with an alternative link between Hayya and Sennar via Kassala and northern branches to Karima and Wadi Halfa. Heavy maintenance workshops are concentrated in Atbara with workshops in Khartoum and Port Sudan, and the Corporation is fully owned by the government and operates in transporting passengers and general goods. Data from the Institute of Developing Economies (2008-2009) indicates that a large part of the network was dilapidated and its share of transport traffic was limited, while private sector participation was introduced in 1999 and a master plan was drawn up for the period 2007-2026.
(Sources: Institute of Developing Economies – Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO), Railway Gazette International)
— Editorial Team