Railways in

South Sudan

A train arrives at Wau shortly after the reopening of the line from Babanusa in 2010.

The first, and only, railway in South Sudan was the railway between Babanusa and Wau, opened in 1961 when both cities were in Sudan. The line was built to Sudanese gauge of 3ft 6in (1067mm). About 250km of the line lay in what is now South Sudan.

During a period of civil war in the 1980s, the line was severed by the destruction of a bridge over the Lol River, south of Aweil. All civilian traffic ceased, although the section north of Aweil continued to be used for a time for military purposes.

With UN sponsorship, the bridge was rebuilt and the whole of the line rehabilitated, reopening throughout in 2010.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. The rail line in South Sudan continued to be operated by Sudan Railways Corporation.

Following an outbreak of civil war in 2013, the line closed. Discussions took place between Sudanese and South Sudanese authorities regarding its reopening, but these lapsed following further outbreaks of civil war in both countries.

A proposal was put forward for the construction of a new standard (1435mm) gauge line southwards from Wau via the South Sudan capital, Juba, to Gulu in Uganda, where it would connect with the Ugandan Railways network to allow international traffic between South Sudan, through Uganda to Kenya but, once again, this has not been taken forward owing to the continuing volatile regional situation.