Vom Blauen Nil ans Rote Meer - alte und neue Züge im Sudan | Eisenbahn-Romantik

In Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, the White and Blue Nile rivers converge. Five million people live here, 40 million across the country. Recently, Sudanese have become railway enthusiasts again, since new Chinese railcars began operating on two lines. The few diesel locomotives that haul freight trains from the port city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea over the 850 km distance to the metropolis also come from the People's Republic. A railway tradition spanning over 100 years and one of the longest rail networks in Africa could be a good basis for advancing the country's development. But the reality is different. For five weeks, the Railway Romance team traveled on tracks and desert tracks to investigate why most trains in Sudan are stationary instead of running. Originally, all the locomotives came from the USA or Europe, including 40 Henschel diesel locomotives. Only ten of these are still operational. The deputy director of the railway addresses the problem directly: Cooperation with Germany and other European countries failed due to the sanctions. Everyone is influenced by America. Yet our railway could become one of the most efficient. We have a grand vision: the railway as a modern means of transport for the entire region. Spare parts are primarily lacking. Hundreds of locomotives are sitting in the depots and, despite existing expertise, cannot be repaired. Thousands of unused wagons line the routes. The embargo doesn't harm the powerful; it's ordinary citizens who are affected. On the 'Al Nil,' the new 'express train,' traveling at a maximum speed of 70 km/h because of the camels and herds of cattle, we travel through the desert to Atbara. This is the center of the Sudanese railway; this was once the largest depot in Africa. Huge halls, dating back to the colonial era. Wheelsets are currently being refurbished, new tires are being fitted. In one corner, two boilers stand; upon closer inspection, they reveal themselves to be the last witnesses of the long-gone steam locomotive era. In an eighty-year-old film that the SWR team discovered in an archive, the locomotives can still be seen steaming. The highlight of the journey is a ride on a freight train from Port Sudan up into the mountains to Summit at 900 meters. Loading at the port is still done manually. A bulk carrier from India carrying sugar has docked. The locomotive struggles up the 1.5% gradient at 25 km/h. It's an impressive area. I like my job. Some places can only be reached by train. I hope for the next generation that there will be more trains again so they can experience this landscape. Will the train driver's wish come true soon? For over ten years, there have been no passenger trains on the line, only freight trains, as they have for the past 100 years, from the Blue Nile to the Red Sea and back. (Editor's note: The film was produced in 2018 BEFORE the ouster of President al-Bashir. All statements and facts are correct at the time and have not been updated since.) We first broadcast this episode by Rüdiger Lorenz, number 959, in March 2019 under the title: From the Blue Nile to the Red Sea. #eisenbahnromantik #swr Even more interested in railways? Then check this out! Here you'll find everything about railway romance: Subscribe to our YouTube channel at http://www.bit.ly/eisenbahnromantik Become a fan on Facebook:   / eisenbahnromantik.  . Latest videos and information on our homepage: http://www.swr.de/eisenbahnromantik...