This paper focuses on the mining networks between Angola and the Belgian Congo during European colonialism to question the wider and lasting socio-spatial impacts of the construction of railway lines, considering multiple agents and agendas. It explores the roles played by Union Minière du Haut Katanga, Forminière and Diamang in planning, building, and using railways between the two territories. These complex connections involved the railway routes’ layout – from the decauville lines for local transport to the trans-imperial connections provided by the Benguela Railway between Katanga and Lobito –, the displacement and mobility of workers, the employment of new technologies and construction materials, the strong entanglements with road networks, and the adaptation by local populations living near the lines.

Research funded by the European Union (ERC, ArchLabour, 1101096606). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council.