.YAMFWA

By JAMES KUNDA –

ZAMBIA and Tanzania are committed to the sustenance of the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) and the joint council of ministers will soon meet in Lusaka to craft supplementary strategies that will improve railway operations.
Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister Yamfwa Mukanga said in an interview that Tanzania and Zambia were committed to the TAZARA joint venture and wanted the railway company to maximize profits.
Mr Mukanga allayed recent speculations that the TAZARA joint venture was under threat due to unforeseen disagreements between the shareholders.
“The shareholders want TAZARA to make profits and this is why the council of ministers needs to meet and discuss what needs to be done to achieve this objective,” Mr Mukanga said.
He said Zambia had continued to invest in the joint venture because railway transport was essential to the growth of the economy.
He said among the newly initiated strategies for TAZARA to maximise profits, was the revision of commuter schedules on major routes that took effect on August 26, 2014.
Mr Mukanga said with the revised commuter schedules, TAZARA aims to give passengers the experience of enjoying a train ride with minimum inconvenience.
Meanwhile, Mr Mukanga says the Government expects Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) to increase its revenue base due to the booming business supported by the rehabilitated railway network.
He said following the realigning and reslippering of significant portions of the ZRL network, the company has attracted business from major transporters of goods.
“Government is happy with the rehabilitation work on the ZRL track and it is expected that the company will be able to improve its revenue base,” he said.
In the first quarter of 2014, ZRL incurred losses amounting to more than K15 million.