KAMPALA – Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) is evaluating bids from Chinese and South Korean firms for a $48 million (Shs175.8 billion) deal to supply 10 new diesel-electric locomotives.

According to URC spokesperson John Linonn Sengendo, the new locomotives will be deployed on the Tororo-Gulu route, which is currently under rehabilitation, as well as supplement the existing equipment on the main line from Malaba to Kampala.

“The contractor has given December this year as the deadline to handover the complete project, which is 10 months from now,” Mr Sengendo said, referring to the rehabilitation of the Tororo-Gulu line.

The rehabilitation of the 375km Tororo-Gulu line, funded by the Ugandan government at Shs199.9 billion ($54.14 million), is expected to be completed by December 2025.

The project includes drainage improvement, construction of new culverts and lining of side drains, earthworks, relocation of utilities, rehabilitation of five steel girder bridges, and railway track relaying including ballasting.

The project, worth $301 million, includes the procurement of wagons, a multi-purpose water vessel, rehabilitation of railway stations and ports infrastructure, and procurement of diesel multiple units, automation of level crossings, and construction of concrete sleeper lines.

According to URC managing director Benon Kajuna, the corporation currently transports only 250,000 tonnes of cargo annually, a significant decline from the one million tonnes moved in 2006.

The decline in cargo volumes is partly due to aging infrastructure, which is being addressed under the African Development Bank-funded project, Mr Sengendo said.

The railway line is part of the East African Community’s Northern Corridor, which links the capital, Kampala, to Kenya’s seaport at the coastal city of Mombasa.