Brazzaville-Kinshasa Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Brazzaville–Kinshasa Bridge is a proposed road-rail bridge planned to connect Brazzaville
in the Republic of Congo and Kinshasa
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
, which are large cities astride the mighty Congo River
that are capitals of their respective countries.
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
in the Republic of Congo and Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, which are large cities astride the mighty Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
that are capitals of their respective countries.
Advantages
- Amongst other things, the proposed bridge would connect Kinshasa via rail to the deepwater 10.46m draft port at Pointe Noire rather than the shallower 8.20m draft river port at MatadiMatadiMatadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Bas-Congo province. It has a population of 245,862 . Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River from the mouth and below the last navigable point before rapids make the river impassable for a...
. - The railway systems of both countries use the same gauge, namely
- With ever bigger ships, shipping companies prefer to use fewer ports.
- The connected railways can share rolling stock which saves capital costs.
- If one line is closed, for example by floods, traffic can be diverted to the other line.
- There are potential lines from AngolaRailway stations in AngolaRailway stations in Angola include:- Maps :* * * - Stations served by passenger trains :- North line :...
and NamibiaRailway stations in Namibia- Maps :* * -Existing:* Ondangwa - junction** Oshakati* Tsumeb* Otavi - junction for Grootfontein* Grootfontein - branch terminus.* Outjo - railhead* Otjiwarongo - junction for Outjo* Omaruru* Kalkfeld - short siding* Seeheim - junction for Lüderitz...
which would create a better network.
Disadvantages
- A minor detail would be to eventually unify couplers and brakes, etc, if not already compatible.
See also
- List of road-rail bridges
- Railway stations in CongoRailway stations in CongoRailway stations in the Republic of the Congo include:- Maps :right|Map of the Republic of the Congo* * * * ** misses line to Franceville- Stations served by passenger trains :- Existing :* Pointe-Noire - port - 0 km* Tié-Tié...
- Railway stations in DRCongo