y JULIUS PHIRI –

ZAMBIA Railways Limited (ZRL) is this year expected to increase cargo being transported on Chipata-Mchinji Railway line from 100,000 to 137,000 tonnes.
ZRL began the operation of the Chipata-Mchinji railway line in May last year and has so far transported 100,000 tonnes of cargo to the Southern African port of Nacala in Mozambique.
Nacala Corridor director Yubya Mwanawina said the railway line managed to transport 100,000 tonnes of cargo to the Nacala port last year.
Mr Mwanawina said the Chipata-Mchinji railway line would further increase the transportation of cargo to three million tonnes per year by 2018.
He was speaking during a meeting on the way forward for the operations of the Chipata-Mchinji Railway line in Chipata on Tuesday.
Controller of Rail Transport Services in Malawi, Geoffrey Magwede said the Malawian government had approved the extension of operation permits for the Nacala corridor from one year to two years.
Meanwhile, Nacala Corridor general manager Moses Sipumo assured the Malawian and Mozambican governments that Chipata-Mchinji railway line would increase its wagons to 71 from the current 46.
Mr Sipumo thanked the two governments for partnering with the Zambian Government in seeing to it that the railway line was operational.
He said the ZRL obtained an extended two years license to continue operating the Chipata-Mchinji Railway line in Malawi and Mozambique.
Mr Sipumo said the company had applied for renewal of the licence after it expired this year.
“The freight cargo and passenger services licence has been extended to 2017,”he said.
He said that the operating licence was given to the company by officers from Malawi who visited Chipata on Tuesday.
Mr Sipumo also said the company lost about 20,000 tonnes when the railway line was affected by floods in Mozambique during the last rainy season.