A new rail development project to introduce high-speed rail to Africa promises to connect the continent’s major cities whilst providing fast, safe and affordable transport.

Afrail Express is a flagship development project between Zurich, Switzerland-based Afrailways and Oshakati, Namibia-based Groot Suisse Industries. The construction of the Afrail Express High Speed Rail Phase One should begin in May 2024 at multiple sites in different countries and promises to start operations between certain cities by 2033. The network would see major cities across Africa connected at a speed of 431km/h thanks to a maglev rail system.

When fully operational, Afrail Express could serve more than 600 million paying passengers between different cities and countries in Africa every week and courier over 500 million paid packages weekly, effecting the creation of the largest advanced industrial ecosystem development in Africa with more than 50 million job opportunities proposed.

Afrail Express would offer both business class and economy class, with each class to feature hi-tech passenger coaches equipped with stylish interiors and comfortable seats with cool features such as Wi-Fi, entertainment and catering services.

Rachel Long, vice president of corporate strategy at Afrailway AG: “We are going to witness the largest industrial revolution happening on the continent of Africa, which when fully commissioned, will enable millions of people in Africa to become more productive as they will be able to move around conveniently, whether it is for their education, work, business or pleasure.”

The First Phase of the Afrail Express high-speed rail network will connect Cape Town to Casablanca via Windhoek, Luanda, Lusaka, Kinshasa, Lagos and Dakar; then from Casablanca to Cairo via Tripoli; and lastly from Cairo to Cape Town via Nairobi, Kigali, Harare, Gaborone and Johannesburg, forming a passageway which would cover nearly 80% of the African population, all to be connected by a maglev high-speed rail network.

“We are developing Afrail Express to help Africa meet its Agenda 2063,” added Long.

Cillar STO will finance the construction of the Afrail Express Maglev high-speed rail network, for the first phase, at the cost of $90 billion. Cillar is designed to serve as the central currency point for the Afrail Express ticketing ecosystem, to help eliminate cross border exchange rates and fees when passengers in different African countries purchase tickets.

Construction of the Afrail Express Phase One is expected to employ more than two million construction workers by different subcontractors at different sites across Africa.