Cape to Cairo Railway
The Cape to Cairo Railway was an unfinished project to create a railway line crossing Africa from south to north. It would have been the largest and most important railway of that continent. It was planned as a link between Cape Town in South Africa and Port Said in Egypt.
| Cairo–Cape railway | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Only a few stretches in operation 5,625 kilometres (3,495 mi) |
| Termini |
|
| Service | |
| Type | High-speed rail Heavy rail |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 10,489 km (6,518 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 25 kV 50/60 Hz AC |
The project was never completed. Important parts which were completed have been inoperative for many years, due to wars and lack of maintenance by the former colonies.
This plan was initiated at the end of the 19th century, during the time of Western colonial rule, largely based on the vision of Cecil Rhodes, in an attempt to connect adjacent African possessions of the British Empire through a continuous railway line from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt.
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