Lack of delivery forces Zambians to abandon rail

IN A front page opinion piece published on July 2, 2008, the Times of Zambia reported: “Gone are the days when the railway network was the most reliable mode of transport in Zambia. “It was so reliable and cheap that the rail line was Zambia’s favourite mode of transport, offloading goods and passengers in remote areas where roads were inaccessible. “The failure by RSZ (Railway Systems of Zambia – the company that holds the concession) to provide safety and reliability has forced many Zambians to abandon rail transport in preference for the faster and more reliable road transport.” These sentiments are echoed by all the freight forwarders FTW spoke to in Zambia. While some of them do use rail from South Africa and Tanzania, freight is mostly transhipped to trucks at the Zambian border as the rail infrastructure within the country is so unreliable. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing use of roadfreight is also taking its toll on road surfaces which will soon require some major investment to fix and maintain. As copper production for 2008 is estimated to grow by 37%, the demand for trucks will grow exponentially. Many of the people involved in the Zambian freight industry believe that it will not be physically possible to supply enough trucks to provide for this demand. As it is estimated that one trainload can do the job of 20 trucks at a much cheaper price, it is therefore crucial for the entire rail system to be overhauled as soon as possible. Under the concession, RSZ was supposed to re-lay the railway line linking the Copperbelt, Lusaka and the Southern province, and to acquire modern locomotives and wagons for both passengers and goods. As this has not happened, the newspaper and many Zambian citizens are demanding a review of the relationship between the Zambian government and RSZ.