By HOPE BWALYA
THE Government has announced that by the end of July this year, Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) trains will be accessing Dar-es-Salaam through the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) rail network.
Minister of Transport and Communications Brian Mushimba said this was made possible through the Open Access Agreement (OAA) that was signed by the two institutions.
Mr Mushimba said this at the Southern Railways Association (SARA) meeting in Lusaka yesterday.
“Recently the two sister companies concluded an OAA that will see them run on each others’ rail networks,” the minister said. “This means that ZRL can now run their trains all the way into Dar-es-salaam while TAZARA will be able to run their trains from Chingola to Livingstone.”
He said the Government was making strides to achieve this and would be meeting with two Chinese companies who had shown interest in the recapitalisation and restructuring of the two railway systems.
Mr Mushimba said the OAA enabled for optimisation of the two railway companies, which would enhance trade between the two countries and within the regions.
He said the access to Dar-es-Salaam would enhance trade and economic development for the two countries because the railway systems would increase their revenue contribution.
Railway transport plays an important role in the transport sector of the country and so recapitalising it is the way to achieve the Government’s desire to make Zambia the regional hub of transport and communication.
Mr Mushimba said the Government was determined to make ZRL the top transportation system in the region and had begun putting in investments.
He said the Government recently injected into ZRL about US$ 120 million that was used for track and locomotive rehabilitation, which had increased the performance and competitiveness of the company.
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