Wagon turnaround time to be improved
THE NATIONAL Railways of Zimbabwe aims to cut its huge losses by half this year, through expenditure savings and increases in tonnage carried.
The volume of traffic is planned to go up from 9 million tonnes to 12,2 million tonnes this year while the number of passengers is expected to rise from from 1,75 million to 2 million.
Already the passenger target is doubtful as two daily train services between Harare and Bulawayo, introduced last month, have had to be cancelled because of poor response.
Closer attention is to be paid to bulk products such as sugar and steel. Wagon turnaround times are also to be improved.
Houses throughout the country are to be sold, mostly to employees.
Last year the parastatal made a loss of R60 million. A restructuring and privatisation programme has been stopped after the corporation reneged on an agreement with the World Bank.
- A new railway line between Beit Bridge and Bulawayo began operations this week, when a train carried a consignment of fuel from South Africa. Costing R300 million, the line will mostly be used by South African traffic and has been built mainly with South african money.
By martin Rushmere
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