Brazzaville–Kinshasa Bridge
The Brazzaville–Kinshasa Bridge is a proposed road-rail bridge planned to connect Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which are major capital cities on the Congo River.[1][2]
The bridge would need to be about 4 km long.
Advantages
- Amongst other things, the proposed bridge would connect Kinshasa via rail to the deepwater 10.46m draft port at Pointe Noire [3] rather than the shallower 8.20m draft river port at Matadi.[4]
- The railway systems of both countries use the same gauge, namely 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
- With ever bigger ships, shipping companies prefer to use fewer ports.
- The connected railways can share rolling stock which saves capital costs.
- If one line is closed, for example by floods, traffic can be diverted to the other line.
- There are potential lines from Angola and Namibia which would create a better network.
Disadvantages
- A minor detail would be to eventually unify couplers and brakes, etc., if not already compatible.
- The Republic of Congo might be more exposed to political turmoil in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The great expense of construction.
See also
References
External links
Coordinates: 04°15′33″S 15°17′05″E / 4.25917°S 15.28472°E
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