Transport in Zambia

This article ia about the transport in Zambia.

Total: 2,157 km (2008)

Railtracker (ACIS/UNCTAD) Zambia Railway Network Diagram

Zambia's North-West Extension - 8 February 2006 - Preparatory work is going forward on Zambia's proposed new north-western extension railway from Chingola to Solwezi, estimated to cost about $US235m. The area has excellent mining potential which cannot be exploited effectively without rail facilities. The route has been surveyed and the implications of compensating land owners are being worked out.

Australian and American interests are examining the project and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) may help with finance. The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), another prospective source of funding, is also looking at the scheme. Hopes have been expressed that the new line might eventually be extended to Mwinilunga and even to join Angola's Benguela Railway without relying on the DR Congo link, to restore what was until the 1970s Zambia's main route for exporting copper and other metals. In April 2012, according to newspaper reports, the Zambian government "has issued a permit to North-West Railway Company (NWR) for construction of the 554km railway line from Chingola to Jimbe on the Angolan border".

The Angolan transport ministry plans to build a line branching off the Benguela Railway at Luacano and entering Zambia from Macango, thus avoiding DR Congo territory. The establishment of this direct link was also subject of talks during the visit of an Angolan delegation to Lusaka in May 2012. "The Benguela Railway will improve relations between the two countries as well as transportation of goods. It is encouraging that the railway on the Angolan side will reach the border by next year," said Keith Mukata, Zambian Deputy Minister for Commerce, Trade, and Industry.

Total: 91,440 km (2001)
Paved: 20,117 km (2001) of which 6,779 km are trunk or main routes.
Unpaved: 71,323 km (2001) (Some of the unpaved highways are graded laterite roads.)

...
Wikipedia