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Victoria Falls Bridge and Steam Train in Zimbabwe. Photo: Victoria Falls Tourism Accociation
NRZ seeks partners for rail link construction
Published: Fri, 2014-04-25 14:12- Likes 2
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To create a shorter transit route for traffic to Mozambican ports
The National Railways of Zimbabwe is scouting for investors to partner it in the construction of line between Lion’s Den near Chinhoyi and Kafue in Zambia as it seeks to create a shorter transit route for traffic to and from Mozambican sea ports.
At the moment Zimbabwe is not linked to Zambia with a rail line in the northern border resulting in goods from Mozambique taking the circuitous route to Bulawayo and then Victoria Falls before getting to Zambia, a distance of more than thousend kilometers.
Steam locomotives are still used in Zimbabwe; they have proven so popular with tourists that there are plans to refurbish several more steam locomotives. However, funding is constrained, and diesel-hauled freight transport is a higher priority.
The NRZ has also suffered of the general decline of the country's economy. Neglect of maintenance, lacking spare parts and overdue replacement of equipment have led to a situation where only part of the railroad net is in good condition and equipment problems have led to reduced service.
Steam locomotives have been reintroduced since 2004 as coal is in relatively good supply, while diesel must be imported and electricity shortages are common. Further, the company is seriously indebted, making it impossible to solve this situation without external help. Goods transport has declined, from 18 million tonnes in 1998 to 2 million tonnes in 2010.
Av Markku Björkman
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