Gare de l'Est
Terminus
A memorial at the station remembering those who died during the construction of the railroad
General information
LocationBoulevard du 30 Juin, Gombe, Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Owned bySCTP
Line(s)Matadi-Kinshasa Railway
History
Opened1932
Previous namesLéopoldville Est

The Gare de l'Est, also known as Kinshasa Est or Kinshasa Central Station (French: Gare centrale de Kinshasa), is a central railway station situated in the Gombe commune of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Positioned along the Matadi–Kinshasa Railway line, it functions as a pivotal transshipment point connecting the railway and the river. Managed by the Société Commerciale des Transports et des Ports (SCTP, formerly ONATRA), the station stands near Ngobila Beach at the Port of Kinshasa, fostering maritime links with Brazzaville, and is conveniently located close to SCTP buildings and the Ministry of Transport and Channels of Communication.[1][2][3][4]

The Matadi-Kinshasa Railway line traverses through the city, tracing the path of the Ndjili River and, further upstream, the Lukaya River.[5][6] This route circumvents the historic city from its eastern and southern flanks, ultimately reaching Kinshasa's central station.[1][7] A deserted former track extends beyond Ngaliema Bay. Additionally, a route leads southeast from the central station to the Ndjili International Airport.[7]

History

The arrival of the first locomotive in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), Congo Free State, ca. 1898

Prior to the inauguration of the Congo-Ocean Railway, which links Pointe-Noire with Brazzaville, the primary station serving Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) and Brazzaville was Kintambo (baptized Kintambo Magasin).[8][9][10] Following the gauge conversion from 750 mm to 1,067 mm on the Matadi-Kinshasa Railway (Chemin de Fer Matadi-Kinshasa; CFMK) and the relocation of the tracks between Ndolo and Kintambo from the middle of Boulevard Albert 1er (now Boulevard Du 30 Juin) to their current position in 1932, a new station was erected at Pool Malebo: "Léopoldville Est."[11][12][13] The former Kintambo station was redesignated as "Léopoldville Ouest." Following the nation's independence from Belgium and the city's renaming to Kinshasa during Mobutu Sese Seko's Authenticité campaign, "Léopoldville Est" was rechristened as Kinshasa Est or Gare de Kinshasa.[14]

Rehabilitation

2015

In October 2015, the Société Commerciale des Transports et des Ports (SCTP) rehabilitated the Matadi–Kinshasa Railway line with a budget of $10.7 million released by the former prime minister Matata Ponyo Mapon.[15][16] The project aimed to rehabilitate the speed, safety, and comfort of the railroad track. The director of SCTP, Jean Kimbembe Mazunga, mentioned that the former state of the track posed a risk to public safety and caused significant material damage.[16] Many stations, including Kinshasa Central Station, Matete Train Station, and Kimwenza Central Station, were rehabilitated, and the average speed was improved to 55 km/h, reducing the average travel time between Matadi and Kinshasa to 6.5 hours.[15][16][1]

2021–2022

On September 14, 2021, the Ministry of Transport and Channels of Communication, Chérubin Okende Senga, announced the rehabilitation of the Matadi–Kinshasa Railway line between Kinshasa and Matadi after visiting the Kimwenza Central Station line.[17] On April 18, 2022, he later announced the rehabilitation of the Matadi–Kinshasa Railway line from the Kinshasa Central Station to N'Djili International Airport, which would be built by a delegation of experts from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).[18] The Resident Representative of JICA in the DRC, Kazunao Shibata, led the delegation and indicated that the pre-feasibility study mission aims to strengthen the Kinshasa Railway.[18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Clowes, William. "The Atlantic to Kinshasa: A journey on the River Congo". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  2. ↑ "Rail transport in the Congo - Kinshasa Guide - Expat.com". www.expat.com. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  3. ↑ "Digitalcongo.net | Kinshasa-Kasangulum : le train interurbain signe son retour !". www.digitalcongo.net. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  4. ↑ "Les gares du monde – Kin-Est, ou ce qu'il reste de la gare centrale de Kinshasa..." RFI (in French). 2015-08-19. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  5. ↑ admin (2022-01-08). "Things to do in Congo – Tourist Attractions in Democratic Republic of Congo". Silverback Gorilla Tours. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  6. ↑ "Matadi-Kinshasa : en route vers la capitale – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  7. 1 2 Mambulu, Bisidi (2015). "Analyse et évaluation de l'épargne informelle chez les petits marchands de Kinshasa communément appelée "ko bwakisa carte". Cas de la commune de Lemba de 2009–2013". Memoire Online (in French). Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Université Pédagogique Nationale (UPN). Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  8. ↑ Gondola, Didier (April 10, 2016). Tropical Cowboys: Westerns, Violence, and Masculinity in Kinshasa. Bloomington, Indiana, United States: Indiana University Press. pp. 36–37. ISBN 9780253020802.
  9. ↑ Trueman, Edmund (October 25, 2022). Postcards from Congo: A Graphic History. Vancouver, Canada: Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 9781551528960.
  10. ↑ Kibayu, Michel Lusamba (September 2010). Évolution des pratiques de sécurisation des conditions de vie dans trois quartiers populaires de Kinshasa: Enjeux et conséquences de la production spatiale et sociale de la ville (in French). Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium: Presses universitaires de Louvain. p. 126. ISBN 9782874632440.
  11. ↑ Blanchart, Charles (1999). "Le Rail au Congo Belge, tome 2: 1920–1945" (in French). Brussels, Belgium: Blanchart & Co. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  12. ↑ Muketa, Jacques Fumunzanza (June 2013). Kinshasa société et culture (in French). Paris, France: Éditions L'Harmattan. p. 23. ISBN 9782296538276.
  13. ↑ Karstedt, Oskar; Martens, Otto (1932). The African Handbook and Traveller's Guide. Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia: George Allen & Unwin. p. 611.
  14. ↑ Annales aequatoria, Volume 27 (in English, French, and German). Rome, Italy: Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. 2006. pp. 36–70.
  15. 1 2 "RDC : la SCTP réhabilite la voie ferrée Kinshasa-Matadi". Radio Okapi (in French). 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  16. 1 2 3 "Chemin de Fer: Les Travaux de Réhabilitation Débutent à la Gare De Matete". 7sur7.cd (in French). 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  17. ↑ Kaforo, Olivier (2021-09-15). "RDC : vers la réhabilitation de la voie ferrée Kinshasa-Matadi" (in French). Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  18. 1 2 "Actualité | Kinshasa : des experts japonais en mission d'étude pour réhabiliter la ligne du chemin de fer gare centrale-Aéroport de N'djili". www.mediacongo.net (in French). April 28, 2022. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
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