Why it Matters
The rehabilitation and upgrade of 300 ZRL-owned wagons points to a practical rolling stock intervention within Zambia’s rail freight and passenger transport system. For ZRL, the use of vendor financing also places funding structure alongside technical capability as a key element of the proposed procurement.
The shortlist reflects local, regional and international participation, with companies from Zambia, South Africa, Malaysia, Mozambique and China named in the notice. That mix is relevant for the wider African rail supply chain, where rolling stock maintenance, rehabilitation capacity and procurement models are increasingly central to corridor performance.
Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) has issued a notice of shortlist for the tender covering the rehabilitation and upgrade of 300 ZRL-owned wagons with vendor financing.
According to the notice, ZRL has made provision in its 2026 Expenditure Budget for the rehabilitation and upgrade programme. The state-owned enterprise, which is mandated to provide rail freight and passenger transport services in Zambia, has its registered offices in Kabwe.
ZRL said limited bidding will be used as the procurement method in terms of section 42(2)(a) and (b) of the Public Procurement Act No. 08 of 2020. The notice states that this approach has been selected because of the specialised nature of the requirement and the urgent need for the procurement.
The proposed shortlisted bidders are Worldwide Rail and Mining Solution, SMH Rail, African Rail Corporation, Smart Logistics Solution, Zambian Furnace, Reload Logistics Limited, Beijing Yangtiantaige Railway Equipment Technology Development Co. Ltd, Companhia De Manutencao Ferroviaria (CMF), Integrity Investments Limited, Manaco Enterprises Limited, Anhui Gangtai Machinery Co. Limited 2023, Gear Rail, China Railway Rolling Stock Co-peration and Transnet Engineering.
The shortlisted companies are based across Zambia, South Africa, Malaysia, Mozambique and China, indicating a mix of local, regional and international participation in the proposed procurement process.
