The Nile Train

Sudan Railways Corporation

Sudan

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Navigate from Atbara to Port Sudan Railway Station across a span of 600km. This is an overnight service.

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

Sudan Railways diesel-electric locomotives; modernized Chinese-built trainsets introduced post-2010

Track Gauge

1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge

Braking Technology

Air brake systems on modern rolling stock; vacuum brakes on heritage coaches

Route Engineering Challenges

Traversing the hyper-arid Nubian Desert with extreme temperature fluctuations (daytime >50°C, near-freezing nights)
Seasonal flash flooding in wadi crossings
Sand encroachment on exposed desert sections
Long gaps between water and fuel replenishment points
Active armed conflict (April 2023–present) has damaged infrastructure between Khartoum and Atbara
Maintaining rail integrity across lightly maintained secondary track post-conflict

Line Length

600 km (Atbara–Port Sudan segment)

Route Character

Desert and semi-arid terrain

Maximum Speed

~80 km/h passenger

Construction Era

Original line 1898–1909 (British colonial); modernized post-2010

Operator

Sudan Railways Corporation (SRC)

Historical Significance

Built to connect interior Sudan to Red Sea coast; part of proposed Cape to Cairo route