The Chipata/Mchinji railway has been officially commissioned with President Rupiah Banda saying the railway would pave way for harmonisation and cooperation in the transport sector in order to enhance trade in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
Speaking during the commissioning of the Chipata/Mchiji railway this morning, President Banda said the transport infrastructure was an important component in the enhancement of economic development and regional integration.
ZANIS reports that Mr Banda noted that the railway would facilitate landlocked Zambia easily transport its imports and exports to the east coast of the African continent through the port of Nacala in Mozambique.
He noted that Zambia’s abundant natural resources required transportation facilities such as the railway in order to provide access to markets in the region.
And President Banda has appealed to the operators of the railway line Central and Eastern African Railway System (CEARS) to ensure that operations were done in an efficient manner.
He also called on CEARS to minimise delays in the transportation of goods and services as doing so would discourage potential users.
Speaking at the same function, Malawi’s President Professor Bingu Wa Mutharika, said his government would ensure that the 810 Kilometres stretch in Malawi is fully rehabilitated and upgraded to provide connectivity to the port.
Dr Mtharika said this would enable the people of Zambia and Malawi benefit from the Chipata/Mchinji railway through cheaper transportation of agricultural, mineral and manufactured products.
The Malawian President, who is also the African Union Chairperson, has since called on the private sector in the three countries to take advantage of the line to enhance trade and get involved in its operations.
He urged the business communities in the three countries to respond to the political will by the heads of state of the three countries shown by their attendance at the commissioning ceremony.
And Mozambican President Armando Guebuza urged people in the three countries of the Growth Triangle to share common resources that were good for the countries as they offered a comparative advantage for their economy.
Speaking in a speech read for him by that country’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Paulo Zucula, Mr Guebuza said there was need for people in the Growth Triangle to use the Chipata/Mchiniji railway to share products in which they have comparative advantage for both economic and social benefits.
Mr Guebuza also pledged his governments’ commitment to ensuring that the railway line to the port of Nacala was maintained for economic development.
The Chipata/Mchinji railway project was initiated in the late 1970s between Zambia and Malawi to provide a shorter route to the port of Nacala in Mozambique.
The project was essentially meant to facilitate landlocked Zambia access its imports and exports to the eastern coast of the African continent but was abandoned due to various reasons and was only resumed in 2006 during the late Levy Mwanawasa regime.
The project is expected to be extended to Katete district and later to the northern part of the country.
ZANIS
viva RB,YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SEE THAT THIS RAIL LINE IS CONNECTED TO NOTHERN ZAMBIA
Thanks nomba also look on the trains..The great KK left those in his times! musebanya ukubika pa internet icho chi train.
Does anybody even make spare parts for these kinds of trains anymore?
Mwanisekesa guys. You are right these Victorian things are history in many countries if not all countries. Whoever donated these heavy and uneconomical pieces of metal should revise his/ her thinking. Please have some considerations for us we are also human beings and we also deserve the best in transport and technology. Sindise mafala we need the latest on the market!
Great development. This will surely be good for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique’s economic development. This also justifies the setting up of a dry port in Chipata.
This will also make it easier for Chipata to attain city status through the investments it’ll receive as that has also been an issue in the Chipata municipal council. Great development.
AYA AMA TRAINS BASHITA MU ZAMBIA, IF I MAY ASK, NIKWISA BAPANGA? I MEAN WHICH COUNTRY AND COMPANY? I HAVE LIVED OVERSEAS FOR A FEW YEARS I HAVE NEVER SEEN ONE ON RAILS.ARE WE GOING FORWARDS OR BACKWARDS? ANYWAY THANKS FOR FINALLY LAUNCHING MWANAWASA’S PROJECT.
Goods engines still look a little bit like that everywhere. I have been on the shinkansen in Japan, the worlds fastest train (at the time), but i think the train pictured here is still good for purpose.It does not look like a passenger train to me….
Imwe guys, #2,3 and 4 state of the art trains needs alot of money to purchase! Zambia just like many African countries is a developing countries and cannot afford the sort of trains you imagine! India is still using some diesel engines as well mind you! Give credit where it is due, this is a good project and will boost the trade and economy of eastern province, period!
William Banda will have a field day of visit family to his homeland by train. But iwe #1, this was a brain child of KK, then kafupi came and stopped everything despite that the rail tracks were in place. LPM restarted it and put everything in motion, uyu chimbwi no plan RB is a back rider che. Dont praise chi praise-praise chabe!
Iwe ka #9 RB promised the Zambians that he will continue with the developmental projects initiated by the late LPM .,he was under no obligation from some grave yard to keep doing the vindictive things .RB is a businessman he understands what it means to have goods run in good time at low cost.RB is not Satan who rubbishes everything .Am waiting for a comment from HH and Satana’a rotten ,jealous mouths.
Imwe guys read up a bit b4 making noise. This is not Mwanawasa’s project. This railline has taken the longest time for its length. Those of us who know Kamunga Hotel in Chimwemwe Kitwe will call it Kamunga railways because its a cousin of that hotel project…It has taken nearly 40 years to construct! Where on earth do serious projects take that long?
Shame chi train kwati chisenda amabwe ku mine still going back wards while there are new trains advanced ones on the world market .
That kind of railline was meant for the sixties……….they r out of usefulness now……………..sorry ba RB…….u hoped for a good catch but it’s the wrong kinda rail at the wrong time………….sympathies……..It is costly to run that kind of rail service than modern ones…starting from the rails themselves to the trains………….business works on the principles of cost effectiveness and efficiency…………this even RSZ are failing to provide………..business houses prefare to use a truck and trailer or tractor to railway services……..evolve or extinct…………
This line done with supersonic speed. Congrats RB. Now since the line not yet connected to Nacala, what is the economic gain as of NOW. What will be ferried from Zambia to Malawi for NOW? Bloggers kindly assist with answers. What do we importr from Malawi and export to them that will go by train?
Iwe chi no.14 you dont know that Malawi is connected to Nacala by rail and so it means Chipata is also connected! Viva RB continue with development projects. Now look at the Kitwe-Chingola dual carriage way!
I see that many of you have never read “False Start in Africa” by Prof Rene’ Dummont. He understood the Afrian mentality of buying the latest cadgets when you do not have the infrastructure to sustain such cadgets. Start by being realistic. What is in the picture is a locomotive and locomotives for goods trains still look like the one above in many countries. Our tragedy in Africa is that we make arguments based on little knowledge of the subject
Why do pipo do things to be praised. How many great projects did Super Ken commission. For RB and his cadres like No 10, commisioning Levy project is the greatest thing they done. No wonder he was on top of things commisioning a shop in woodlands, shame. I wonder if he was even mentioned in the commisioning speech. The time Levy was passed on (R.I.P) the project was almost complete. I hapen to stay around railways compound in chipata.
Bingo! Trains have started rolling in Eastern Province a hundred years after they started doing so in Southern Province.
Lets congratulate the Zambian vision, not RB! Zambia can still put good trains on that truck and earn some revenue on it!
Of course it is not an RB’s achievement but KK’s vision. Can we also look at KK’s other plans please without all this political nonsense?
The Mozambiqan president sent his minister of Transport and Infrastructure Paulo Zucula to attend on his behalf. You bet if this was even just a border tolilet President Armando Guebuza was opening on the border with Zambia, Kamwendo Munjila would have been there to be the first to use the latrine. It is truly shameful how this man just cannot stay at home to resolve the problems that bedevil this country. Even within SADC, he has become a laughing stock, especially for Zuma where a month does not pass without him visiting.
#9, you are very right. It seems most Zambians don’t even know their Zambia. These projects mambala alecita innaugulate were started by others. In fact he found them been implemented. Ena is just taking advantage of what other started and alomst finished before they died or something. This guy never came with any plans at all- of course apart from screwing Zambians out of their hard earned money. So, don’t praise RB blindly. Ni hijacker chabe.
Regional integration, one track at a time. This is the way to go.
@Kuomboka ne nsaka; what you are saying makes perfect sense. It seems to me that that very few of our leaders had true vision. To this effect, it would profit us to learn what those visions are/were before more leaders pass on.
A project takes 28 years to complete. It is a shame. We have a shambolic railway system and I don’t see a lot of business happening on this railway line. A good example is Zambia Railways System. they have little or no business. Businesses prefer to use road rather than rail.
i think the only way is to buy new trains
Thanks to the efforts of the Civil Servants, the project has now been completed, though behind schedule. Now to our gallant men and women in the Zambian Civil Service can you insure that a rail is built in North Western Province through Private Public Partnership (PPP) to reach Angola, Our Government is spending colossal amounts of money on our road in that area due to increased traffic.
i live in chipata and the only people who will benifit are the indians the friends to RB.zambians lets wake up these guys are not intrested in developing zambia but developing thier own pockets from our taxpayer kwacha.