Office National des Transports (Congo)

The Office National des Transports (ONATRA) (in English, National Transport Agency) is a publicly owned company, based in Kinshasa

Kinshasa

Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....

, which operates railways, port

Port

A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....

s and river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

transport in the north and west of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

History

The Office des transports coloniaux (or "Colonial transport agency, OTRACO) was established, in 1935, as a public body, and renamed the Office des transports au Congo (OTRACO) in 1960, finally becoming the "Office National des Transports" (ONATRA) in 1971.

In 1973, ONATRA carried its largest number of passengers ever, a total of 410,871.

In 1977, the government decided to end ONATRA's monopoly of river transport, and to allow any any individual or company to own and operate river boats.

Decline in the state of its assets, together with competition, led to a sharp decline, so that by 1982, it only carried 121,779 passengers.

Network

The network includes:

Matadi-Kinshasa Railway
Matadi-Kinshasa Railway
The Matadi-Kinshasa Railway is a railway line in Bas-Congo Province between the port of Matadi and Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of the Congo.The Matadi-Kinshasa Railway was built from 1890 to 1898...

, under an agreement with the Congo Railroad Company
Congo Railroad Company
The Congo Railway Company or the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo is the national railway company for the inland railways of the DR Congo. Because of a civil war, the railway was not functioning from 1998 until June 29, 2004...

;
Rivers and lakes network
- From Boma to Banana
  Banana, Democratic Republic of the Congo
  Banana is a small seaport in Bas-Congo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the Atlantic coast. The port is situated in Banana Creek, an inlet about 1 km wide on the north bank of the Congo River's mouth, separated from the ocean by a spit of land 3 km long and 100 to 400 m...
  
  (ferry Kalamu) ;
- River Congo and Kasai River
  Kasai River
  The Kasai River is a tributary of the Congo River, located in central Africa. The river begins in Angola and serves as the border between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo , then flows into the DRC, where it joins the Congo northeast of Kinshasa. The Kasai's tributaries include the...
  
  (and their tributaries) ;
Ports
- Ocean ports of Matadi
  Matadi
  Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Bas-Congo province. It has a population of 245,862 . Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River from the mouth and below the last navigable point before rapids make the river impassable for a...
  
  and Boma
- River ports Kinshasa
  Kinshasa
  Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
  
  , Mbandaka
  Mbandaka
  Mbandaka, formerly known as Coquilhatville or Coquilhatstad , is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lying near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki Rivers. The capital of the Equateur District, it is home to an airport and is linked by ferry to Kinshasa and Boende...
  
  and Kisangani
  Kisangani
  Kisangani is the capital of Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the 3rd largest urbanized city in the country and the largest of the cities that lie in the tropical woodlands of the Congo....

History

Network

See also