Sudan Begins Train Operations Again After War-Induced Suspension
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Khartoum, Dec 28 (NationPress) Sudan has restarted the train services that link Port Sudan in the eastern Red Sea State with Atbara in the northern River Nile State, following a suspension due to the ongoing civil strife, according to Sudanese officials.
The train departed from Port Sudan on Thursday evening, arriving in Atbara on Friday, marking the first railway service in Sudan to resume since the civil conflict began between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in mid-April 2023.
Sudan's Transport Minister Abu Bakr Abu Al-Qasim Abdalla stated that efforts will proceed to restore train services on additional railway routes.
"This is merely the commencement, and we are dedicated to reinstating train services across all railway lines connecting various cities," the Minister conveyed.
As per Musa Al-Qom Al-Jahdi, the director general of the Sudan Railways Corporation, there will be a train journey every two weeks between Atbara and Port Sudan. The train can accommodate 432 passengers over six carriages and covers a distance of approximately 600 km in 12 hours, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The ongoing civil war has severely affected the railway sector in Sudan, resulting in a suspension of nearly 80 percent of both passenger and freight train operations, along with looting of railway stations and wooden sleepers, according to the Sudan Railways Corporation.
At least 20,000 lives have been lost, although the actual death toll is likely much higher as the persistent fighting and the breakdown of the healthcare system have hindered the updating or verification of casualty statistics.
The United Nations has noted that the conflict has led to the world’s largest displacement crisis, with over 11 million individuals displaced to refugee camps and neighboring countries. The UN also indicated in early October that famine and outbreaks of diseases such as cholera have worsened an already dire situation.
