History of rail transport in Burundi
Okay kiddo, so rail transport in Burundi started a long time ago, around the late 19th century. Back then, Burundi was a colony of Germany (who were kind of like a boss of Burundi).
The Germans built the first railways in Burundi to help them transport goods and people easily. They built a line that connected the capital city, Bujumbura, with Kigoma in Tanzania. This line was about 150 kilometers long, which is about the distance from our house to grandma's house.
After World War I, the Germans lost control over Burundi, and it became a colony of Belgium. The Belgians took over the railways and expanded them to other parts of Burundi. They built a line that went from Bujumbura to the town of Muyinga, in the northeast part of the country. They also built another line that went from Bujumbura to the town of Uvira in Congo.
But in the 1960s, Burundi gained its independence from Belgium. The new Burundian government decided to focus on developing other forms of transportation, like roads and airplanes, and the railways were kind of forgotten. Some of the railway lines were even abandoned, and the trains stopped running.
Today, there are still a few railway lines in Burundi, but they are used mostly for transporting goods, like coffee and tea, to other countries. There are no passenger trains anymore, but who knows, maybe one day train travel will become popular again in Burundi!
The Germans built the first railways in Burundi to help them transport goods and people easily. They built a line that connected the capital city, Bujumbura, with Kigoma in Tanzania. This line was about 150 kilometers long, which is about the distance from our house to grandma's house.
After World War I, the Germans lost control over Burundi, and it became a colony of Belgium. The Belgians took over the railways and expanded them to other parts of Burundi. They built a line that went from Bujumbura to the town of Muyinga, in the northeast part of the country. They also built another line that went from Bujumbura to the town of Uvira in Congo.
But in the 1960s, Burundi gained its independence from Belgium. The new Burundian government decided to focus on developing other forms of transportation, like roads and airplanes, and the railways were kind of forgotten. Some of the railway lines were even abandoned, and the trains stopped running.
Today, there are still a few railway lines in Burundi, but they are used mostly for transporting goods, like coffee and tea, to other countries. There are no passenger trains anymore, but who knows, maybe one day train travel will become popular again in Burundi!