Zambia Railways has announced plans to construct 5 new railway lines that will link the country’s mining provinces to regional trade corridors in an attempt to provide reliable and cost-efficient transportation for important economic sectors including mining, agriculture and energy.
While the cost of the project has not yet been release, the projected timeline will span five years and will help to improve the country’s overall infrastructure while, at the same time, providing new opportunities for economic development in the region.
“The development of our railway transport sector will ensure that the country becomes the hub for regional business transactions and thereby accelerate economic development,” said Zambia President Michael Sata in a released statement.
As a result of the construction of new railway lines offering alternative routes for the exportation of copper and other materials, strain on the jointly-owned Tanzania-Zambia railway, TAZARA, is expected to be reduced.
Zambia Railways was reinstated in 2012 by the government of Zambia to supervise the country’s railway network and has since launched a USD 1.5 billion project to restore and improve the country’s 2,000 kilometer railway line.
