TRANSPORT · DR CONGO
Key Facts
- —The country The Democratic Republic of Congo is Africa’s second-largest country by area, with more than 100 million people. Kinshasa, the capital, is one of Africa’s largest cities.
- —Why it matters Kinshasa moves mostly by road. A rail line to N’Djili International Airport would be the first piece of a planned 300 km urban network.
- —Why now The deals follow contracts signed in Kinshasa on Thursday 8 October, including a state support and guarantee agreement. Works are due to start in December 2026.
- —What happened On Monday 12 October in Dubai, the government and the Africa Finance Corporation signed a MetroKin joint development agreement and a memorandum on a Kinshasa to Banana railway study.
- —The numbers Phase one is valued at US$877 million. It covers 25 km of electrified double track, eight stations and 52 footbridges.
- —What it means for you Travellers could ride from the airport to the central station in 21 minutes. Investors gain a possible second Atlantic route for western Congo, alongside the US-backed Lobito Corridor.
- —Still open How much the lender will put in itself, on what terms, and who will build the line. The Banana study has no published cost or deadline.
DR Congo has signed two rail agreements with the Africa Finance Corporation, one of them for the MetroKin railway in Kinshasa. Its first phase, valued at US$877 million, would link the capital’s central station to N’Djili International Airport.
For foreign investors and travellers, it is a test of whether Kinshasa can turn long-promised transport plans into working track. The second deal funds a feasibility study for a railway from Kinshasa to Banana, the country’s Atlantic outlet.
What Was Signed in Dubai
Jean-Pierre Bemba, the deputy prime minister for transport, signed both documents in Dubai on Monday 12 October. Samaila Zubairu, president and chief executive of the Africa Finance Corporation, signed for the lender.
Bemba is a former vice-president who leads the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, a party allied to President Félix Tshisekedi. Portfolio Minister Julie Shiku, who oversees state companies, attended with MetroKin executives.
The Africa Finance Corporation is a Lagos-based multilateral institution that finances and develops African infrastructure. The first document is a joint development agreement, which makes it a co-developer of the MetroKin first phase.
The Ministry of Transport published the details on Tuesday 13 October, via the state news agency, Agence Congolaise de Presse. Kinshasa news site 7sur7.cd published a fuller account on Wednesday 14 October.
What the MetroKin Line Would Build
Phase one is a fenced, electrified double-track line of 25 km from Kinshasa’s central station to N’Djili International Airport. It adds 3 km of sidings, eight stations, two of them commercial, and 52 footbridges.
The plan also includes new bridges, drainage works and a rail viaduct over Boulevard du 30 Juin, the capital’s main avenue. A thermal power plant at Kin-Est would supply the network, sized at 35 megawatts in the 7sur7.cd account.
Planners expect a direct trip of 21 minutes from the central station to the airport, or 26 minutes with stops. Trains would run every four minutes, and works are due to begin in December 2026.
The 7sur7.cd account puts expected ridership at 452,000 passengers a day, with peak capacity of 600,000. In May 2025, MetroKin chief executive Erick Onepunga Yongo gave a first-phase figure of 520,000 a day.
The complete MetroKin network is planned at 300 km across the city-province of Kinshasa. Only the first 25 km carry a price tag so far.
Why the Banana Railway Matters
The second document is a memorandum of understanding to fund a feasibility study for a railway between Kinshasa and Banana. The study is meant to settle how the line would be developed, financed, built, operated and maintained.
Banana sits at the mouth of the Congo River, on the country’s short Atlantic coastline in Kongo Central province. A deep-water port is under construction there, a project led by Dubai-based DP World.
Kinshasa is linked to the sea today by an older railway to Matadi, a river port about 365 km away. Matadi lies upriver and takes only smaller ships, which is the main argument for a deep-water port at Banana.
Background on the port is in Banana Port, DR Congo: First Deep-Water Harbour Opens 2027. For the wider region, see Democratic Republic of Congo Neighbours Explained 2026.
What It Means for US Readers
For US investors, the deals show Kinshasa turning to African development finance for its largest urban transport project. A line to Banana would add a domestic Atlantic route alongside the US-backed Lobito Corridor through Angola.
Washington has backed the Lobito rail link to move copper and cobalt from the southern mining belt to the Atlantic. Banana would mainly serve Kinshasa and western Congo, so it complements that corridor rather than competing with it.
For business travellers, a 21-minute rail trip from N’Djili would be a clear change from today’s congested road access. Suppliers of power, signalling and rolling stock, including US firms, should watch for tenders once financing closes.
What Is Not Known
The documents do not say how much of the US$877 million the Africa Finance Corporation will provide itself, or on what terms. No builder was named, although France’s Alstom signed a memorandum with the lender on MetroKin in May 2024.
The cost and timetable of the Banana feasibility study were not disclosed. The ridership forecast also varies between published accounts, from 452,000 to 520,000 passengers a day.
In May 2025, MetroKin’s chief said the company was ready to start works that November, yet construction has still not begun. The 7sur7.cd report notes that delivery depends on honouring the commitments and raising the money.
The contracts of 8 October set rules between MetroKin, the state transport company Onatra and the airports authority RVA. Their detailed terms, including the state guarantee, have not been made public.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MetroKin?
MetroKin is a planned urban railway for Kinshasa, developed by a company of the same name. Its full network is planned at 300 km, starting with a 25 km line to N’Djili International Airport.
How much does the first phase cost?
The transport ministry values phase one at US$877 million. The share the Africa Finance Corporation will finance itself has not been disclosed.
When will construction start?
MetroKin and the ministry give December 2026 as the start of works. Earlier targets have slipped, so the date is best treated as a plan.
What is the Kinshasa to Banana railway?
It is a proposed line from the capital to Banana, where a deep-water port is being built on the Atlantic coast. The agreement signed on 12 October covers only the financing of a feasibility study.
Why should US investors care?
The project should bring tenders for power, signalling and rolling stock once financing is final. It also adds a possible western trade route alongside the US-backed Lobito Corridor.
Sources: Agence Congolaise de Presse, ministry document, 13 October 2026; 7sur7.cd, 14 October 2026; Agence Congolaise de Presse, 9 October 2026; Agence Congolaise de Presse, 12 May 2025; Railway Gazette, 4 June 2024.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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