Chapter 421: The East African Great Railway Plan
February 22, 1873.
Svet Palace.
Ernst called together the high-level officials of the East African government and the East African Railway Company to discuss the construction of the East African railway. Taking advantage of the economic crisis, it was now possible to begin railway construction in East Africa.
During the meeting, Ernst gave a detailed description of the initial construction blueprint for the East African railway:
"This railway project is divided into four main parts. The first is the extension of the First Railway, which will be renamed 'Central Railway' after completion. It will connect the East African coastline, the East African Plateau, the Katanga Plateau, the Lunda Plateau, the Matabele Plateau, and the South African Plateau."
"The Central Railway will be in the shape of a 'T,' with a total length of over 4,600 kilometers. It will start in Dar es Salaam, passing through First Town, Mbeya, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, Harare, Bulawayo, and Pretoria."
"The second part is the 'Northern Railway,' which will have a total length of over 1,000 kilometers. It will start in Mombasa, passing through Nairobi, and end in Kisumu."
"Once these two railways are completed, the total length of the East African railway network will be around 5,600 kilometers, effectively connecting the territory of East Africa. The Central Railway will handle cross-regional passenger and freight transportation between East Africa's eastern, western, and southern regions, while the Northern Railway will connect the Great Lakes region with the coast."
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Ernst then turned to the Chief Technical Advisor of the East African Railway Company and said, "Mr. Nottingham, please explain the specific construction conditions and plans to everyone. If there are any difficulties, feel free to mention them!"
Nottingham began, "Everyone, even before the construction of the First Railway, we started surveying the railway routes within East Africa. It took almost three years to select the relevant routes, and we tried to avoid areas with complex terrain. However, some marshes and wetlands cannot be avoided along the route. This is the biggest challenge for the Central Railway. In contrast, the Northern Railway does not face such issues."
"Let me give a simple example with the American Pacific Railway. The total length of the Pacific Railway is about 3,000 kilometers, while the planned length of our Central Railway will far exceed that of the Pacific Railway. The construction workload per unit length will also be greater than the Pacific Railway."
This problem with construction workload was one that Ernst had chosen to take on because he believed that the East African railway construction was seizing the best routes within the entire East African Kingdom (avoiding mountainous areas that would require tunnel development). In the future, it was almost certain that the East African railway would become the main artery of the region, so Ernst decided to build a triple-track railway, while Europe and America at the time were primarily using single and double-track railways.
"Considering the industrial base of the two countries, the United States has a complete industrial system that can fully meet the demands of railway production, while East Africa has no such foundation. We cannot even produce the most basic railway tracks," said Ernst.
This meant that the construction of the East African railway still had to rely on imports. However, after calculating the costs, East Africa found that it was currently cheaper to import materials than to produce them locally. Normally, this would not be the case, but after the economic crisis in Europe and America, a surplus of railway production capacity was perfectly suited to meet East Africa's needs. Now, Ernst was waiting for the European and American railway industries to reach rock bottom before starting to act.
Ernst added, "There is no need to worry about this issue. We will import a large amount of materials from Europe. Austria and Germany have abundant surplus steel production capacity that can fully meet the needs of the East African railway. If the German and Austrian production is not enough, we can also rely on Britain, France, and America…"
Nottingham responded, "Your Highness, this is one issue. The next problem is the lack of skilled workers. Perhaps local Africans can meet 85% of the demand, but some specialized skills are beyond their reach and will require professional railway workers to complete."
Ernst reassured, "This is not a problem. I can tell you a clear piece of news: Austria has already suffered a severe economic crisis, and over a dozen railway companies have gone bankrupt, with this number continuing to rise. Moreover, the economic crisis is spreading to other industrial countries, especially the United States, Germany, and France, which have also excessively built railways in recent years. This means many railway workers are now unemployed. I have already ordered Austrian enterprises to recruit a large number of experienced railway workers, and once they arrive in East Africa, they will be able to effectively solve this issue."
Nottingham continued, "As for the construction schedule, based on Your Highness's request to complete the construction of the Central and Northern Railway mainlines within three years, after comparing with the Pacific Railway data, we estimate that at least 60,000 workers will be needed."
The Pacific Railway took four years to complete, with about 15,000 workers in total. The planned length of the East African Central Railway alone exceeds the Pacific Railway by more than 1,500 kilometers, and with the addition of the Northern Railway, the workload will be almost double that of the Pacific Railway. Moreover, East Africa's conditions are far worse than those of the United States, particularly in terms of transportation, and with the short timeline, a large workforce will be necessary.
Ernst responded, "Rest assured, the government will recruit 100,000 indigenous workers from various regions to support the railway construction."
Although 100,000 workers may sound like a lot, it was actually fewer than the workers currently employed in the construction of the Central Canal in East Africa, which already employed more than 250,000 workers. In fact, this number hadn't even surpassed the number of workers used for the construction of the Suez Canal, which cost 120,000 lives. In comparison, the construction of the railway and the canal was entirely different in scale. The Suez Canal's construction had been overseen by the French, who treated Egyptian workers as less than animals — or rather, they treated them as disposable tools. East Africa, however, was somewhat more humane, though it still relied heavily on native labor.
For East Africa, the 100,000 indigenous railway workers would be more than enough. For example, by the 1930s, the Far East's total number of railway workers was only 230,000, and Russia's Siberian Railway used 90,000 workers, even though its total length was nearly 10,000 kilometers — almost double that of East Africa's current railway plan. Furthermore, the Siberian Railway passed through the most difficult frozen terrain, so the conditions were far tougher.
In conclusion, the only significant problem with East Africa's railway construction was its weak industrial base; all other issues were relatively minor.
Ernst continued, "While we're building the railways, we'll also take the opportunity to complete East Africa's initial industrialization. By 1880, we aim to become fully self-reliant and free from dependence on steel imports from Germany and Austria."
This was why Ernst insisted on completing the Central Railway within three years. He knew that once the railway was built, East Africa could develop its coal and iron mines in Zimbabwe, which would require railways for transportation. This development would also significantly increase East Africa's control over its territory, strengthening its hold over the southern and western regions and providing more stability.
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