The 115-kilometer Kisangani–Ubundu railway line in DR Congo’s Tshopo province is set to be rehabilitated under a project valued at $257 million. On July 4, 2025, Transport Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba signed a concession contract with a consortium made up of South Korea’s Korea Engineering Consultants Corp (KECC) and Congolese partner Masco Énergies & Construction (MEC).

Few details were disclosed about the contract terms. MEC president Madua Masudi stated only that the works are set to begin by the end of July 2025 and will last 36 months. According to the Transport Ministry, Equity BCDC bank is expected to provide financial support, though specifics were not given.

The exact collaboration structure between KECC and MEC has not been clarified. KECC, founded in 1963, is a multidisciplinary engineering and consulting firm offering services from feasibility studies to project management. The company has completed projects in Africa, Asia, and South America.

In contrast, little is known about MEC’s past track record. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Industry in November 2023 to build a cement plant in Maiko, also in Tshopo province. That plan includes constructing a 120 MW power plant to supply the cement factory, with surplus electricity intended for nearby communities. The initiative is part of DR Congo’s national industrialization master plan.

The Kisangani–Ubundu project marks the first phase of a broader plan to reconnect Kisangani to Kalemie via Ubundu, Kindu, and other strategic towns. The second phase, which will extend the rail from Ubundu to Kalemie, is still pending completion of technical studies. The government aims to strengthen national integration by establishing a continuous north–south railway corridor.

Passenger service on the Kisangani–Ubundu route has been suspended since 2019 due to operational challenges faced by the state-run railway company SNCC. The suspension was caused by aging infrastructure, lack of maintenance, and deteriorated rolling stock. Of the four locomotives purchased in 2016, only two remain operational.

Separately, in May 2025, the Congolese government launched an international call for expressions of interest to rehabilitate the rail network in the Uélé and Mongala provinces in the country’s northeast. The bid targets the 870-km Bumba–Aketi–Buta–Mungbere line, which uses a 0.60-meter track gauge and rail weights of 18, 23, and 33 kg/m.