DR Congo signs $877 million MetroKin deal — The Rio Times

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Africa Finance Corporation have concluded an agreement on the joint development of the first phase of the MetroKin urban railway in Kinshasa, worth $877 million. The documents were signed in Dubai on October 12, 2026, by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Jean-Pierre Bemba and Africa Finance Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Samaila Zubairu, The Rio Times reports.

Railway to the airport

The first phase of MetroKin provides for the construction of a 25 km fenced, electrified double-track line from Kinshasa Central Station to N'djili International Airport. The project also includes 3 km of station tracks, eight stations, two of which will have commercial purposes, and 52 pedestrian footbridges.

The plan includes new bridges, drainage facilities and a railway viaduct over Boulevard du 30 Juin, the capital's main avenue. The network is to be powered by a 35-megawatt thermal power plant in Kin-Est. A direct journey between the central station and the airport is expected to take 21 minutes, and 26 minutes with intermediate stops. Work is scheduled to begin in December 2026.

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Study of the route to Banana

The parties also signed a memorandum to finance a feasibility study for a railway between Kinshasa and Banana on the Atlantic coast in Congo Central province. The study is to determine approaches to the development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the line.

Construction of a deep-water port is underway in Banana, implemented by Dubai-based company DP World. Kinshasa is currently connected to the sea by an older railway to the river port of Matadi, located about 365 km away. The full MetroKin network is planned to extend for 300 km within the city-province of Kinshasa.