Kampala, Uganda — Uganda Railways Corporation has suspended the only passenger train service in the country, due to safety concerns regarding the line from Kampala to Namanve.

The decision came after the URC technical team considered a dangerous situation at the Mbuya-Kinawataka stretch where water from the Kinawataka swamp has eaten into the ground, leaving just a few feet to the rails.

URC fears that if the situation is not arrested immediately, there is a danger of the rail caving in and a possible derailing.

It is not clear exactly when the works will be complete and when the services will commence, according to a statement by URC, but John Lennon Sengendo, head of public relations and communications, says the work should take two weeks.

"We are doing the gabions in the Katoogo Area where the rail was staring to cave in, because the water was eating into the embankment, having been blocked by the garbage," Sengendo says.

He appealed to the people in the area to avoid dumping garbage into the channel because this is the cause of the drainage blockage. "The down side done, and we are now working on the upper side," he said, adding that "because the reserve area is very small, they are putting the material across the railway line, the more reason why they had to suspend the train services."

He says one other reason for making sure the services commence soon is because of the upcoming Uganda-South Sudan Africa Cup of Nations game at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole next month, when demand for train services will be high.