§ Sir W. de FRECEasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give the length of the railway which is now being built departmentally in West Africa; whether complete surveys have been made for the entire line and, if so, by whom; what is the estimated cost per mile for completing the line; what is the nature of the country to be traversed; and what is the estimated total number of cubic yards in the earthworks which will, according to anticipation, be required?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GORERailways are being built departmentally in Nigeria and the Gold Coast. In Nigeria the work falls into two main divisions,i.e., from Enugu to Kakuri, 426 miles estimated to cost £13,405 per mile and from Kagoro to Bukuru, approximately 48 miles, estimated to cost £10,870 per mile. The line from Enugu to Kakuri has been completely surveyed and located, subject to a further examination of sections of a total length of 61 miles through very difficult country where an attempt is being made to find a less costly and difficult route.
1594WThe line from Kagoro to Bukuru has been roughly surveyed. The Survey work is performed by experienced officers engaged specially for this purpose. The country to be traversed is very difficult. In the first 47 miles from Enugu there are 18 bridges and many culverts. In the Mada hills cuts of 50 feet will be required through solid rock. The line rises from 361 feet above sea level at the Benue River to 4,283 feet at Bukuru. Information as to the total number of cubic yards of earthworks required is not available, but for the first 49 miles from Enugu the total was 1,013,500. Approval has recently been given for the construction of a railway in the Gold Coast about 100 miles long from Huni Valley to Kade in the Central Province. The route has not been completely surveyed, but a general topographical survey of the country has been made by the staff of the Gold Coast Railway Survey Department and a reconnaissance survey of the greater part of the route has been made by an officer of the Gold Coast Railway Department. The country is largely covered by dense forests and, as the line has to cross the waterways, very cheap construction cannot be expected. The line is estimated to cost £11,380 per mile, but this is necessarily an approximate estimate. No information is available as to the amount of excavation required.
§ Sir W. de FRECEasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies the estimated and the actual cost per mile of the Busoga Railway, in Uganda; what is the gauge of the line; whether the track is fully ballasted throughout; what is the length of the line; and who were the contractors?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe original estimate was £180,000 for a line 54 miles long, or £3,333 per mile. It was found necessary to build a longer line than had been expected, and the revised estimate was £170,000 for a line of 62 miles, or £2,742 per mile. The cost was kept down to this figure of £170,000 which was found to admit of a larger provision for buildings than had first been contemplated. I do not know to what extent the line was completely ballasted, but I have no reason to suppose that the ballasting was inadequate for its purpose. The gauge is one metre, as for the Uganda Railway itself. Construction was departmental, under the supervision of the 1595W general manager and chief engineer of the Uganda railway, and the officer in charge of the local work was Mr. Gailey, then of the Uganda railway.
§ Sir W. de FRECEasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the estimated and the actual cost per mile of the Nairobi-Thika Railway in Kenya; what is the gauge of the line; whether the track is fully ballasted throughout; what is the length of the line; and who were the contractors?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe estimated cost of the Nairobi-Thika Railway (31 miles) was £60,000. This was subsequently revised at £62,770 for a distance of 31½ miles and the actual cost was £62,063, or 1,970 a mile. I regret that I do not know to what extent the line was completely ballasted, but I have no reason to suppose that the ballasting was inadequate for its purpose. The line is of metre gauge, and it was constructed by the Public Works Department of Kenya and not by contract.