STORY: Uganda resumes passenger train services in Kampala after renovation
SHOOTING TIME: May 2, 2024
DATELINE: May 4, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:56
LOCATION: Kampala
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/TRANSPORTATION

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Kampala
2. various of the train station in Kampala
3. various of the platform of the train station in Kampala
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): KATUMBA WAMALA, Minister of Works and Transport
5. various of the train
6. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): RIHANNA NANTAMBI, Passenger
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): KATUMBA WAMALA, Minister of Works and Transport
8. various of the train

STORYLINE:

Uganda has resumed passenger train services in parts of the capital city Kampala following a year of renovation work.
   
A locomotive pulling five coaches, with a capacity of carrying up to 800 passengers, now operates four trips per day -- two in the morning and two in the evening. The fare for a trip is 2,000 Ugandan shillings (about 50 U.S. cents), an increase from the previous 1,000 shillings.
   
The renovation of the Kampala-Namanve 25 km meter gauge railway line has focused on fixing deadly spots and broken sections.
   
The government said the resumption of passenger train service was a solution to the city's traffic gridlock.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): KATUMBA WAMALA, Minister of Works and Transport
"We want to alleviate the problem and the stress people get on road transport. Our roads are still highly congested. So people take a lot of time in the traffic jam, to move a short distance. Now with this facility, the train service, it will be far smoother and faster. So consider there is a saving, saving in terms of time and also convenience, because here you don't have the jam, you don't have to stress with the vehicle not moving, the fumes on the road. So it's a worthwhile endeavor."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): RIHANNA NANTAMBI, Passenger
"I'm riding for the first time (after the service resumes). I decided to do this because there is a lot of jam on the road, almost being like one hour, sometimes two hours, just from town up to Namboole. So today I only spent like 30 minutes and I'm almost home."

A 2017 World Bank study estimated that traffic jams cost Uganda more than 800 million U.S. dollars annually in lost gross domestic product, attributed to lost productivity, wasted fuel and increased emissions.

According to Minister of Works and Transport Katumba Wamala, as a regional logistics hub, Uganda could draw lessons from China's experience in developing railway transportation.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): KATUMBA WAMALA, Minister of Works and Transport
"Investment in railway line, in railway transport is the most ideal. Because if you're going to promote trade in not only the country but also the region, then you must be able to transport the goods and people at a very affordable price. Uganda by location, we're the hub in the region, we are like a dispatch point for logistics in the region. Because logistics to Sudan, to Congo, to Rwanda, to Burundi, all go through Uganda. Now if our country is going to facilitate trade, not only for ourselves, but also for the original members, then we should be able to transport their goods within means, cheaper, but also faster. When you look at the railway system in China, the bullet train and all that, while we hope that one day we shall be there."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kampala.
(XHTV)