Train service between Kananga (Kasaï Central) and Lubumbashi (Haut-Katanga) officially resumed on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, according to Emmanuel Kalonji, Director of the North Region Department at the National Railway Company of Congo (SNCC).

Service was initially scheduled to resume on Nov. 15 but was moved up after a meeting with local business leaders. “Our customers could not wait any longer. After consultation, we decided to restart operations on November 11,” Kalonji said. He added that the immediate priority was to clear stranded goods and restart passenger and freight transport to prevent heavy financial losses for both the company and its clients.

Train operations on this line had been suspended since early October due to anti-erosion work in Kamupongo, a locality near Kananga, carried out by the company Safrimex.

Logistics Chain Disruption

The suspension left goods stranded in SNCC warehouses in Kananga, disrupted regional market supplies, and caused delays across the supply chain. Throughout October, no mail trains ran on the Ilebo-Kananga and Kananga-Lubumbashi routes.

Even as service resumed, the SNCC stressed the need to secure the railway to ensure timely transport of ballast and other materials. Regular maintenance of the railway infrastructure remains essential to sustain interprovincial trade and keep goods moving smoothly.

In September, the SNCC began building culverts and drainage channels in Tshimbulu, the second-largest city in Kasaï Central, to contain erosion threatening both the railway line and a section of National Road No. 1. That work is expected to last three months.

Ronsard Luabeya

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