Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Congo

The Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Congo (CCFC) was founded on 31 July 1889. The construction of the railway was directed by Albert Thys, whose name was given to one of the railway stations, Thysville (now Mbanza-Ngungu).

The completion of the Matadi–Kinshasa railway, in 1898, provided an alternative route around the rapids and sparked the rapid development of Léopoldville. Its construction cost the lives of 1,932 people (1,800 locals and 132 immigrants). The living conditions in the construction of this railway were miserable. The sanitary and medical facilities were insufficient. In 1892, about two thousand people worked on the railroad, of which an average of one hundred and fifty workers per month lost their lives due to smallpox, dysentery, beriberi and exhaustion. By the end of 1892, 7,000 workers had already been recruited, 3,500 of whom had died or fled (for example, to neighboring forests). These conditions made it more difficult to recruit workers. Thys therefore attracted people from Barbados and China in September and November 1892 respectively. The Barbadians refused to leave the boats in the port of Matadi until they were forced by firearms. Seven people lost their lives in this action.

The main challenge was to build the railway track through the gorges of the Congo River, onwards through the M'pozo River, and a difficult passage along the Monts de Cristal.