Office National des Transports (Congo)

The Office National des Transports (ONATRA) (in English, National Transport Agency) is a publicly owned company, based in Kinshasa, which operates railways, ports and river transport in the north and west of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

History

The 'Office des transports coloniaux (or "Colonial transport agency, OTRACO) was established, in 1935, as a public body, and renamed the Office des transports au Congo (OTRACO) in 1960, finally becoming the "Office National des Transports" (ONATRA) in 1971.

In 1973, ONATRA carried its largest number of passengers ever, a total of 410,871.

In 1977, the government decided to end ONATRA's monopoly of river transport, and to allow any any individual or company to own and operate river boats.

Decline in the state of its assets, together with competition, led to a sharp decline, so that by 1982, it only carried 121,779 passengers.

Network

First Class ticket for the ferry Kalamu, November 2003

The network includes:

• Matadi-Kinshasa Railway, under an agreement with the Congo Railroad Company ;
• Rivers and lakes network
  • From Boma to Banana (ferry Kalamu) ;
  • River Congo and Kasai River (and their tributaries) ;
• Ports
  • Ocean ports of Matadi and Boma
  • River ports Kinshasa, Mbandaka and Kisangani

Timeline

2008

• New locomotives

See also

• Rail transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

References