Mukono-Kampala commuter train services start Tuesday

MUKONO - The long-awaited Mukono commuter train service on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, starts services in a move set to ease connectivity and help address the traffic jam challenges in the Kampala metropolitan area.

According to a short statement released on Sunday, November 3, 2024, by the government-owned Uganda Railway Corporation (URC), two trains will operate: one for the extended Mukono-Kampala route and another for the Namanve-Kampala route, providing seamless services to and from Mukono.

It notes that commuters from Mukono will depart at 6:30am via Namanve, arriving in Kampala at 7:40 am.

Those travelling in the evening from Mukono to Kampala via Namanve will depart at 6:50pm and arrive in Kampala at 8:00pm.

On the other hand, those travelling from Kampala will depart at 5:30pm and arrive in Mukono at 6:40pm. According to URC, there will be another train departing Kampala at 8:10pm, arriving at Mukono at 9:10 pm.

Namanve commuter

The morning commuters from Namanve will depart at 7:05am, arriving in Kampala at 7:40am, while those travelling in the evening will depart at 7:25pm and arrive in Kampala at 8:00pm.

Commuters travelling back to Namanve in the evening from Kampala should arrive by 6:00pm while those travelling by the later train should arrive by 8:40pm.

Successful renovation

This development follows the successful renovation of the rail line connecting Mukono municipality to Kampala, which began in April last year. The renovation involved replacing steel sleepers with concrete ones to enhance the line’s durability.

Andrew Muguluma, a URC board member and chairperson of the technical committee, recently noted that the service will improve as more coaches and locomotives are acquired.

Fares for the route are set at shillings 3,000  for Mukono and 2,000 for Namanve.

Currently, each train trip can accommodate between 600 and 750 passengers, allowing for a total capacity of 1,200 to 1,500 passengers per trip with two trains in operation.

Muguluma emphasized that URC is enhancing security measures for passenger safety, noting the presence of both uniformed and plainclothes officers to monitor suspicious activities. Muguluma also mentioned plans for the Kyengera-Kampala passenger route, which he anticipates will be ready for use within a year.

Progress has already been made, including line scooping, and the current focus is on the tendering process.

Traffic jam

The Kampala metropolitan area has one of the worst traffic jams in Africa, which has been blamed on the lack of an efficient transport system.

Residents in Kampala lose about 24,000 man-hours each day residents in Kampala lose about 24,000 man-hours each day due to traffic congestion.

That translates to approximately 52 days per year spent sitting in traffic jams, according to a 2019 report by the World Bank.

Can URC do better?

While several people welcomed the resumption of the train service to Mukono, others were unhappy that the Mukono train would be staged in Kyetume.

Clevermulowoza posted on X, formerly Twitter saying: "Kyetume is 4km from Mukono Town. For this route to make sense, you need to have substations/halts along the line between Kyetume & Namanve, especially Kyungu, Njerere & Kisenyi. Otherwise, you're likely to run empty wagons. In the long run, you need to provide parking space at such halts".

JC was unhappy with the time the train takes to move to and from Mukono and Kampala: "One hour and 10 mins for a distance of 21km (from Mukono to Kampala) still leaves a lot to be desired. Kiplimo can actually run from Mukono to Kampala and reach before the train".