[1] On 31 October 1906 the CSK, the Congo Free State and the Société Générale de Belgique founded the Compagnie du Chemin de fer du Bas-Congo au Katanga (BCK) to build a rail link from Bukama to Port Franqui on the Kasai River and to carry out mining research in a defined area.

Jean Jadot, who had built the 2,215 kilometres (1,376 mi) Beijing-Hankow line in China, was made managing director.

[1] BCK connected the mines of Southern Katanga, or Shaba, to the port of Ilebo on the Kasai River.

[2] The Société des Chemins de fer Léopoldville-Katanga-Dilolo (LKD) was created through a 16 September 1927 agreement between the government and BCK, and was an administrative and financial vehicle.

At Dilolo the BCK network connected to the Benguela railway, which carried goods to the port of Lobito on the Atlantic.

[2] In 1952 LKD merged with CFK to form the Compagnie des Chemins de fer Katanga-Dilolo-Léopoldville (KDL).

[1] Between 1952 and 1956 the Chemins de Fer des Grands Lacs (CFL) built a 246 kilometres (153 mi) line from Kabalo to Kabongo.

[citation needed] On 1 July 1974 KDL was taken over by the state-owned Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Zaïrois, which now owned all the railways in the Congo.