Congo–Ocean Railway

The Congo–Ocean Railway (COR; French: Chemin de fer Congo-Océan, CFCO) links the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noire (now in the Republic of Congo) with Brazzaville, a distance of 502 kilometres. It bypasses the rapids on the lower Congo River; from Brazzaville river boats are able to ascend the Congo River and its major tributaries, including the Oubangui River to Bangui.

Overview

Brazzaville station in 1932.

The railway was constructed, starting in 1921, using forced labour, by the French colonial administration between 1924 and 1934, at a heavy cost in human lives. It has been estimated that 17,000 of the construction workers, who were mainly recruited from what is now southern Chad and the Central African Republic, died during the construction of the railway.^[1] Other estimates were higher.

In 1962, a branch was constructed to Mbinda near the border with Gabon, to connect with the COMILOG Cableway and thus carry manganese ore to Pointe-Noire. The Cableway closed in 1986 when neighbouring Gabon built its own railway to haul this traffic. The branch line remains active nonetheless.

The Congo–Ocean Railway was a user of the Golwé locomotive. Motive power is now provided by diesel locomotives.

From the start of the civil war in 1997, the line was closed for six years. In 2007 the BBC reported it to be in a "decrepit state with the majority of trains now broken". UNICEF organised a train in August 2007 to distribute malaria nets vital in the prevention of the disease.^[2] In 2007, a Korean led consortium CMKC Group‎ signed a deal to build railway extensions to Ouesso and Djambala mainly for timber traffic. ^[3]

On 22 June 2010, a train of the Congo–Ocean Railroad was involved in a major incident, in which at least 60 people were killed. The train is believed to have derailed as it went round a corner in a remote area between Bilinga and Tchitondi, throwing four carriages into a ravine. The dead and wounded were taken to hospitals and morgues in Pointe-Noire.^[4]

In 2011, it was announced that Africa Iron was close to concluding a 25-year ore transport deal with Congo–Ocean.^[5]

Stations served

Congo–Ocean Railway Chemin de fer Congo-Océan
Line length:	512 km / 318 mi
Gauge:	1067 mm / 3 ft 6 in
Legend 512 km Brazzaville Kikembo Ngoma-Tse-Tse Mayogongo Kibouende Ngabouloumou Madza Matoumbou Loualou Massembo-Loubaki Missafou Mindouli Kingoyi Kikembo Loulombo Kimbedi Loutété Bouansa Kipambou-Kayes Madingou Kimbaouka Bodissa Nkayu Moutela Loudima 285 km Mbinda (Comilog-Line) 0 km  ? km Mont Bélo Moubotsi Tao-Tao  ? km 91 km Loubomo (Dolisie) Moukondo Mvouti Mpounga Malemba Les Saras Mfoubou Mvoungouti Nzombo Tsessi Tsoumbou Nemba Nkougni  ? km 0 km Bilinga Yanga Mboukou Makola Hinda Ntombo Ngondji 0 km Pointe-Noire [6]

Main article: Railway stations in Congo

COMILOG-Line
Line length:	285 km / 177 mi
Gauge:	1067 mm / 3 ft 6 in
Legend 285 km Mbinda Ngongo Mayoko Tsinguidi Mbaka Vouka Nzima Moungoundou Moutebe Mossendjo Boungoto Massanga Tsimba Itsotso Titi Mabafi Mahitoula 106 km PK 106 Boudanga Makabana Moukanga Diesse Sinda Mouindi Kibouba 512 km Brazzaville Loutété (Congo-Ocean) 0 km Mont Bélo 0 km Pointe-Noire 1 m[7]

Specifications

• Rail gauge : 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge (Jane's 69/70)
• Brake (railway): Vacuum brake (Jane's 69/70)
• Coupler: SA3 coupler (Jane's 69/70)

See also

• Congo Railway
• Matadi-Kinshasa Railway in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Railway stations in Congo

References

1. ^ "In pictures: Malaria train, Mayomba forest". news.bbc.co.uk. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/africa_malaria_train/html/3.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-09. 
2. ^ "In pictures: Malaria train, Train engine". news.bbc.co.uk. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/africa_malaria_train/html/1.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-09. 
3. ^ "Korea to build railroad in Congo". korea.net. http://www.korea.net/News/News/LangView.asp?serial_no=20070820016&lang_no=1&part=103&SearchDay=. Retrieved 2009-12-09. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "60 reported dead in Congo train crash". Wikinews. 23 June 2010. http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/60_reported_dead_in_Congo_train_crash. Retrieved 23 June 2010. 
5. ^ "Railway Gazette: News in Brief". 2011-04-16. http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/news-in-brief-52.html. Retrieved 2011-04-16. 
6. ^ http://www.cfco.cg/FileUpload/pics/Cartes/cfco_carte.jpg
7. ^ http://www.cfco.cg/FileUpload/pics/Cartes/cfco_carte.jpg

• André Gide, Voyage au Congo (1926)
• Albert Londres, Terre d'Ébène (1929)
• Gilles Sautter, "Notes sur la construction du chemin de fer Congo-Océan (1921-1934)," Cahiers d'Études africaines 7:219-299 (1967)
• Jane's World Railways 69/70, pages 542/543

This Africa rail-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Rail transport in the Republic of the Congo Transport in the Republic of the Congo French Equatorial Africa Brazzaville Pointe-Noire, Congo Republic of the Congo stubs Africa rail transport stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Chemin River Rail transport in Ethiopia Look at other dictionaries: Congo-Ocean Railway — The Congo Ocean Railway (COR, or CFCO) links the Atlantic port of Pointe Noire (now in the Republic of Congo) with Brazzaville, a distance of 502 kilometres. It bypasses the rapids on the lower Congo River; from Brazzaville river boats are able… …   Wikipedia Chemin de fer Congo-Océan — Die Kongo Ozean Bahn (CFCO, von französisch: Chemin de fer Congo Océan) ist eine 510 km lange Eisenbahn in der Republik Kongo, welche den Hafen von Pointe Noire am Atlantischen Ozean mit Brazzaville am Kongo verbindet …   Deutsch Wikipedia congo — /kong goh/, n. congou. * * * Congo Congo:Geography Location: Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon Map references: Africa Area: total area: 342,000 sq km land area: 341,500 sq km comparative area: slightly… …   Universalium Congo — /kong goh/, n. 1. People s Republic of the, a republic in central Africa, W of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: formerly an overseas territory in French Equatorial Africa; now an independent member of the French Community. 2,583,198; 132,046 …   Universalium Congo Railway — First train arrives in Kindu in 2004 after the rehabilitation of the line The Congo Railway Company (CNC) or the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo (SNCC) (formerly Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Zaïrois, SNCZ) is the national… …   Wikipedia Congo, Republic of the — known as Congo (Brazzaville) formerly Middle Congo Republic, west central Africa. Area: 132,047 sq mi (342,000 sq km). Population (2002 est.): 2,899,000. Capital: Brazzaville. Nearly half of the population belongs to one of the Kongo tribes. The… …   Universalium Congo River — or Zaire River River, west central Africa. Rising in Zambia as the Chambeshi and flowing 2,900 mi (4,700 km) through the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Atlantic Ocean, it is the second longest river in Africa. It flows through three… …   Universalium Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — Diagrammatic Map of ground and water transport in the DR Congo in 2000 (roads) and 2006 (waterways and railways) Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin… …   Wikipedia Matadi–Kinshasa Railway — View from a rail car in 2003. The Matadi Kinshasa Railway is a railway line in Kongo Central Province between the port of Matadi and Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Matadi Kinshasa Railway was built from 1890 to… …   Wikipedia Republic of the Congo — Not to be confused with the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly also known as the Republic of the Congo . For other uses, see Congo (disambiguation). Coordinates: 1°26′24″S 15°33′22″E /  …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2025 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”