East Africa did indeed have plans to build another North African Railway, the so-called eastern route of the North African Railway, passing through Egypt and ultimately reaching the Mediterranean Sea. It was only a plan because Egypt was currently within Britain's sphere of influence. East Africa had the idea, but for now, it was no more than an idea.
For the western route of the North African Railway, the one now in operation, East Africa had paid an enormous price.
Yet this railway was also profitable. Take the current trade between East Africa and Europe: although the North African Railway's freight capacity was utterly insignificant compared with the Suez Canal.
The goods transported along this railway, however, competed with the Suez Canal in fundamentally different ways.
For example, products with stricter requirements for timeliness—most typically tropical fruits and vegetables exported to Europe. With the North African Railway, East Africa's exports of tropical produce to Europe had effectively surpassed those from the Caribbean Sea region, becoming the optimal route.
European imports of tropical fruits and vegetables could roughly be divided into four major production regions according to origin: the Caribbean Sea region, South America, Africa, and Asia—South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Previously, the Caribbean Sea region held the greatest advantage in exports to Europe among those four producing regions.
This was because the Caribbean Sea region possessed a distinct advantage in maritime trade with Europe compared with the other regions.
The North Atlantic's "trade wind belt" and the "Canary Current–North Equatorial Current–Gulf Stream" system formed a perfect "circulation."
European vessels sailed south to the West African Coast, then rode the trade winds and currents westward straight to the Caribbean. On the return voyage, they relied on the powerful Gulf Stream and the westerlies to head north back to Europe.
This route