Congo–Ocean Railway
| Congo-Ocean Railway line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| System | Non-Electrified | ||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Locale | Pointe Noire, Bouenza, Kouilou, Niari, Pool, Lékoumou | ||
| Termini |
Pointe Noire Brazzaville |
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| Stations | 49 | ||
| Services | Via Dolisie | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | 1934 | ||
| Character | At-grade | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 512 km (318 mi) | ||
| Number of tracks | 1 | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Electrification | No | ||
| Operating speed | 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph) | ||
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The Congo–Ocean Railway (COR; French: Chemin de fer Congo-Océan, CFCO) links the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noire (now in the Republic of Congo) with Brazzaville, a distance of 502 kilometres (312 mi). It bypasses the rapids on the lower Congo River; from Brazzaville river boats are able to ascend the Congo River and its major tributaries, including the Oubangui River to Bangui.
As of 2012[update] the railroad was regularly operating freight and passenger services along the length of the line despite the poor state of the track. In 2012 a luxury passenger train, La Gazelle, using Korean manufactured passenger cars was introduced and as of 2014 it operated between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville every other day and was scheduled to take 14–16 hours to complete the 502 kilometres (312 mi) journey.
Under French colonial administration, in 1921 they contracted Société de Construction des Batignolles to construct the railway using forced labour, recruited from what is now southern Chad and the Central African Republic. Like Spain and Portugal, France did not ratify the International Labour Organisation Forced Labour Convention of 1930, No. 29. Disdain among the native population towards this conscripted labour and other forms of oppression lead to the Kongo-Wara rebellion between 1928 and 1931. Through the period of construction until 1934 there was a continual heavy cost in human lives, with total deaths estimated in excess of 17,000 of the construction workers, from a combination of both industrial accidents and diseases including malaria. In 1946, France ratified ILO No.29, in light of a permanent state of emergency, due to indigenous revolt.
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