By SYLVIA MWEETWA –
THE Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) chief executive officer Muyenga Atanga has disclosed that US$160,000 has been spent on rehabilitating eight passengers coaches using resources raised from operations.
Speaking when he toured the rehabilitation works at the ZRL workshops in Kabwe yesterday, Professor Attanga said ZRL had also since spent 60 per cent of its euro bond money it received from the Government in the ongoing rehabilitation works of the railway line and 13 locomotive.
Prof Atanga said the eight coaches that had been refurbished would be used by people of Mulobezi who in the past had experienced challenges in their movements.
He said the rehabilitation of the coaches and other works going on had shamed critic’s who felt the Government was making a mistake in pumping money into the company.
He said the money the firm was using to rehabilitate the coaches was realised from the passenger’s trains and moving of cargo from within and outside the country.
Prof Atanga said ZRL was committed to ensuring that it doubled its operations once the coaches and the locomotives were fully operational.
He said the train which would operate twice in a week would be able to transport between 630 and 700 people which was also safer for the public considering increased road carnage.
He said the train would also be moving at 70 kilometres per hour from the current 20 kilometres per hour.
