Eastern Africa
Southern Africa
Tanzania
Zambia
Transport / Infrastructure
Upgrade of Tanzania-Zambia Railway
- Upgrade the 1,860km single-track Tanzania-Zambia railway, which was built between 1970 and 1975
- The work will include the complete rehabilitation of track infrastructure, improvement of train speeds to between 60 and 80 kilometres an hour, and the purchase of 32 locomotives and 762 wagons
- China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) will be awarded a 30-year concession for the railway, the first three years of which would be dedicated to construction and rehabilitation, and the remaining 27 years to operational management to ensure long-term sustainability
- CCECC will undertake periodic major overhauls, alongside continuous maintenance throughout the concession period
- According to Zambia’s transport minister Frank Tayali, the Tazara revitalisation plan states that in order for the railway to be economically viable, it will need to move at least 1.2 million tonnes of cargo a year. This would entail two freight trains being dispatched from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia at the same time each day
- In the near future, the railway is planned to move 4 million tonnes of cargo a year
