Industry welcomes investment in rail

Investment in rail and other Zambian infrastructure will power the economy through its current challenges, believes Hiten Bhagat, general manager of Hill & Delamain Zambia. “The economy is expanding. We can see it in the growing volumes of traffic we are handling,” he says. Hill & Delamain Zambia provides full end-to-end sea, air, road and rail services for the movement of cargo into and out of Zambia. It provides supply chain management for cargo ranging from fast moving consumer goods to bulk chemicals. Bhagat welcomes the investment by the Zambian government in the rail infrastructure. The government “is pushing hard on rail,” and as a company Hill & Delamain is monitoring developments carefully in order to ensure that it is able to help its clients to take advantage of the revived infrastructure, he says. “There are still challenges with rolling stock, but we are starting to see the benefits of rail being back on track,” he told FTW. Lower transport costs and greater efficiencies for bulk commodities and containers will support economic growth in Zambia and neighbouring countries, he believes. Rail is being supported by the upgrading of roads throughout Zambia. “It is exciting to see the amount of money being invested in logistics-related infrastructure. The government clearly realises the vital role played by logistics in the economy,” he says. Infrastructure investment over the past decade or so is already paying off. Whereas in 1992 Zambia was totally reliant on Dar es Salaam as a port gateway, shippers can now choose between a number of ports – including Durban, Beira, and Walvis Bay. INSERT & CAPTION Rail is being supported by the upgrading of roads throughout Zambia. – Hiten Bhagat