THE Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) has invested more than US$60,000 in rail track maintenance aimed at improving cargo haulage, regional general manager, Peter Shitambuli has said.Mr Shitambuli said the maintenance exercise which was already in progress was also aimed at reducing derailments on the line.
He said in Ndola that the railway firm intends to increase the volume of cargo hauled on the line after rehabilitation from the current 15,000 to at least 72,000 tonnes per month.
The volume of cargo hauled on Tazara had drastically dropped over the years to as low as 15,000 tonnes per month due to loss of business to road hauliers.
We have embarked on a mechanical rail track maintenance so that we can improve on cargo haulage and reduce derailments, Mr Shitambuli said.
The programme would also help to reduce transit time for cargo from the current four to three days.
Mr Shitambuli said the company currently has 1,500 wagons and maintains 18 locomotive engines which were under refurbishment.
He said Tazara had since entered into an agreement with the Rail Systems of Zambia (RSZ) for on-ward freight of cargo to thecompanys clients on the Copperbelt and Congo DR.
The agreement would enable Tazaras exporting customers on the Copperbelt to fully utilise the companys services.
Tazara has entered in to an agreement with RSZ to ensure that cargo reached our customers on the Copperbelt and beyond,he said.
Mr Shitambuli said Tazara was addressing the problem of congestion at Dar- es-Salaam port and reduce cargo movement delays.
Times of Zambia
Post published in: Economy