Turkish engineering firm Yapi Merkezi has won a $3 billion contract to construct a 272-kilometer railway line connecting Kampala to Malaba, a key Ugandan border point with Kenya, the country’s preferred route for port access. This project marks one of the most substantial international undertakings for a Turkish construction company. Perez Wamburu, coordinator of Uganda’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project, shared that this agreement covers the first phase of a
Category: Railway News
AFC Advances Zambia Lobito Rail Project with Angola and Zambia Concession Agreements
The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has achieved a major milestone in the Zambia Lobito Rail project by entering concession agreements with the governments of Angola and Zambia. The formal signing took place alongside the 79th United Nations General Assembly, with support from the U.S. G-7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. These agreements position the AFC as the lead entity for funding,
Malawi’s Rail Rehabilitation Reopens Path for Mozambican Coal Exports
The completion of a major rail rehabilitation project linking Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, with Balaka in the south has paved the way for the resumption of thermal and coking coal exports from Mozambique. This development is expected to boost coal trade between the two nations, particularly from Mozambique’s coal-rich Tete Province. While international investors have reduced their involvement in local mining operations due to environmental concerns, Mozambique’s coal reserves continue to
Zimbabwe Opens Rail Network to Private Players Amid Rising Mineral Demand
Zimbabwe’s state-owned railway operator, National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), has opened its network to private companies, including a unit of South Africa’s Grindrod, to boost freight volumes that have plummeted after years of underinvestment. Once transporting 12 million tons of cargo annually in the 1990s, NRZ now hauls less than 3 million tons due to a lack of locomotives and poor infrastructure maintenance. This decline was exacerbated by a sharp
Zambia Signs MoU to Boost Trade Through Lobito Corridor
The Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry (MCTI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Quality Institutions (NQI) to implement the Lobito Corridor Trade Facilitation Project, supported by an African Development Bank grant of US$8.1 million. This project aims to enhance both domestic and cross-border trade between Zambia, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The NQI comprises key regulatory bodies, including the Zambia Metrology Agency
Transnet Freight Rail Restores Full Operations on Cape Mainline After Flood Repairs
Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has fully resumed operations on the Cape Mainline after completing extensive repairs to sections of the railway damaged by the severe floods in July 2024. In a statement released on Friday, TFR announced that freight operations had returned to full capacity after more than a month of intensive work to restore the line. “The rail infrastructure sustained significant damage in the De Wet and Sandhills areas,
Malawi Celebrates Milestone with Arrival of Fuel Train Following Railway Rehabilitation
Malawi has marked a significant milestone with the arrival of a fuel train in the southern region, transporting 1.2 million liters of fuel. This achievement was made possible by the extensive rehabilitation of the country’s railway line, which had fallen into disrepair over several decades. President Lazarus Chakwera, who personally oversaw the train’s arrival, hailed the event as a “great milestone” for Malawi, highlighting its potential to boost the country’s
China, Tanzania, and Zambia Sign Landmark Agreement to Modernize Rail-Sea Transport Network
In a significant boost to regional infrastructure, China, Tanzania, and Zambia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance the intermodal rail-sea transportation network in East Africa. The agreement, centered on the modernization of the Tanzania-Zambia railway, was signed in Beijing during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The event, attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, marks a new
DBSA Approves $200 Million for the Lobito Corridor Railway Project
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has approved funding of up to US$200 million towards the Lobito Corridor Railway Project in Angola, alongside the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). This strategic infrastructure initiative, valued at approximately US$786.4 million, aims to enhance regional trade and transportation networks by providing an efficient and reliable railway connection from the Lobito Port on Angola’s Atlantic coast to the border with the Democratic Republic of
Chinese State-Owned Firm Set to Revamp Key Zambia-Tanzania Railway by 2024
A Chinese state-owned company is expected to finalize an agreement to take over the concession for the railway connecting Zambia’s copper mines to a Tanzanian port by the end of 2024, according to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara). Last week, the heads of state from Zambia, Tanzania, and China witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to rehabilitate the 1,860-kilometer (1,160 miles) railway, originally built in the 1970s