Zambia’s Ministry of Transport and Logistics has announced plans to rehabilitate critical sections of the Mulobezi Railway by the end of the 2025/2026 financial year.
Transport and Logistics Minister Frank Tayali described the line as a crucial link between the Zambia Railways network and the country’s Western Province, which borders Namibia, Botswana, and Angola. He explained that while a full overhaul of the Mulobezi Railway would require approximately US$85 million, an amount Tayali said is currently beyond the government’s means, the focus will be on repairing the most critical segments to restore functionality.
Responding to questions in Parliament, Tayali said limited funding has forced the government to prioritise urgent sections of the 162-kilometre line. The goal is to increase freight train speeds from the current 15 km/h to 20 km/h and passenger train speeds from 20 km/h to 25 km/h.
Originally built in the early 1900s to transport timber from Mulobezi to Livingstone in the Southern Province, the railway now also carries passengers and livestock. However, its deteriorated condition has led to extreme delays, with the journey between Livingstone and Mulobezi taking up to five days, Parliament was informed. A recent parliamentary tour confirmed the line’s poor state.
Tayali acknowledged that the railway is currently operated as a social service by Zambia Railways due to its lack of commercial viability. He noted that in November 2023, the government commissioned the Bombwe Railway Bridge to strengthen the connection between Livingstone and Mulobezi.
The railway is too dilapidated to attract private sector investment, Tayali said. He added that years of neglect have left it in an unusable state, but the government is making a genuine effort to restore the Mulobezi Railway and improve railway infrastructure across the country.
He emphasised that improving railway infrastructure will reduce the cost of doing business in Zambia by shifting cargo transport from roads to rail. Tayali also revealed broader national plans, including the concession of the TAZARA Railway to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and upgrading Zambia Railways infrastructure from Chililabombwe in the Copperbelt to Livingstone.
Despite a previous allocation of US$120 million from the Eurobond for railway improvements, Tayali said little progress was made. The current government, he assured, is committed to meaningful investment in rail transport as part of a broader economic strategy. Tayali said the planned concession of the TAZARA and the agreement between Angola and Zambia for the financing, construction and operation of the proposed 830km Zambia Lobito Railway project that will link the two countries has attracted a lot of interest from the cargo industry.
The project will extend the existing Benguela Railway from Luacano, Angola, to Zambia Railways’ railhead at Chingola, providing connectivity to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Tanzania via the TAZARA line, and extending the corridor from the port of Lobito on the Atlantic to the port of Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean.
Written for Railways Africa Magazine by — Chamwe Kaira
