Train rides between Kampala and Mukono stopped yesterday. Uganda Railways Corporation shut down all trips because the track broke near Namanve. Nobody can ride these trains from April 6 to April 14, 2025. The company said it cared about keeping people safe above everything else. Workers rushed to fix the damaged tracks as fast as they could.
The railway wants trains running again by April 14. They feel sorry about the trouble this causes everyone who uses these trains each day. Many people count on these trains to reach work or school without sitting in traffic jams. The railway offers cheap rides compared to buses or motorcycles on clogged roads. Trains also help people avoid the awful traffic on the Kampala-Jinja Highway during busy times.
The trip covers about 20 kilometers between these cities. Morning and evening bring the worst traffic as workers head to jobs downtown and then back home later. The train has become very popular since it came back a few years ago. It runs on time and costs less than other ways to travel. Many workers live in Mukono but have jobs in the Kampala city center.
The broken railway forces everybody to find different ways to travel for eight days. Small buses called matatus might fill up fast with extra riders. Motorcycle taxis, named boda-bodas, will probably charge more since many people need rides all at once. The traffic jams might grow even worse than usual during these eight days without train service.
The railway helps make city roads less crowded every day. Before trains came back, the roads stayed packed with cars, buses and trucks for hours each day. People waited ages just to move a few miles down the highway. The government wants more people using trains instead of roads. Uganda Railways did not say what other choices people might have until the tracks work again.
The railway wants trains running again by April 14. They feel sorry about the trouble this causes everyone who uses these trains each day. Many people count on these trains to reach work or school without sitting in traffic jams. The railway offers cheap rides compared to buses or motorcycles on clogged roads. Trains also help people avoid the awful traffic on the Kampala-Jinja Highway during busy times.
The trip covers about 20 kilometers between these cities. Morning and evening bring the worst traffic as workers head to jobs downtown and then back home later. The train has become very popular since it came back a few years ago. It runs on time and costs less than other ways to travel. Many workers live in Mukono but have jobs in the Kampala city center.
The broken railway forces everybody to find different ways to travel for eight days. Small buses called matatus might fill up fast with extra riders. Motorcycle taxis, named boda-bodas, will probably charge more since many people need rides all at once. The traffic jams might grow even worse than usual during these eight days without train service.
The railway helps make city roads less crowded every day. Before trains came back, the roads stayed packed with cars, buses and trucks for hours each day. People waited ages just to move a few miles down the highway. The government wants more people using trains instead of roads. Uganda Railways did not say what other choices people might have until the tracks work again.
