Work / monument · infrastructure

Matadi–Kinshasa Railway

1890–1898 · 19th century · Also known as Matadi–Léopoldville railway

The Matadi–Kinshasa Railway, built from 1890 to 1898 as the Matadi–Léopoldville railway, links the seaport of Matadi to Kinshasa, bypassing the rapids of the lower Congo River. Its construction through difficult country cost the lives of many African and Asian labourers. It replaced head porterage and became the main route for the exports of the Congo basin.

Matadi–Kinshasa Railway
Image: MONUSCO Photos · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Congo Free StateSocioeconomy, Summary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Matadi–Kinshasa Railway. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/matadi-kinshasa-railway
MLA
“Matadi–Kinshasa Railway.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/matadi-kinshasa-railway. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Matadi–Kinshasa Railway.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/matadi-kinshasa-railway.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Matadi–Kinshasa Railway’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/matadi-kinshasa-railway (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻