Matadi, October 5th, 2026 (CPA).- The strengthening of rail transport, marked by the receipt of new equipment at the public port of Matadi in Kongo Central Province, southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is expected to help ease congestion on National Road No. 1 (RN1), an official of the National Transport Office (ONATRA) said. “The strengthening of rail transport should help ease congestion on the Matadi-Kinshasa National Road No. 1, which is currently heavily used for freight traffic,” said Jean-Claude Ngoma, deputy director in charge of the railway division of the National Transport Office in Matadi, stressing the importance of shifting part of freight traffic to rail. According to him, strengthening railway capacity should enable ONATRA to increase its freight transport capacity on the Matadi-Kinshasa route, linking the port of Matadi to the capital.
This prospect was reinforced by the receipt in Matadi last Thursday of 42 new wagons acquired by the government, including 30 container wagons and 12 boxcars intended, among other things, for the transportation of bagged goods. “The acquisition of these 42 wagons intended for freight transport is primarily aimed at increasing ONATRA’s operational capacity on the Matadi-Kinshasa railway route,” he explained.
Jean-Claude Ngoma said each container wagon can carry either one 40-foot container with a maximum load of 57 tons, or two 20-foot containers with a combined maximum load of 57 tons. He further indicated that the new equipment would be put into service once certain works currently underway on the railway line have been completed. “The equipment will be put into service shortly. Some works are currently being carried out on the railway line and, as soon as they are completed, traffic will resume,” he assured. The operation is part of efforts to strengthen ONATRA’s capacity and develop rail transport as a means of evacuating goods between Matadi and Kinshasa.