The Lobito–Dar es Salaam Railway is a planned narrow gauge railway line that connects the Angolan port city of Lobito to the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam, through the Zambian city of Kapiri Mposhi. It is an African transcontinental railroad connecting the Atlantic and Indian oceans and it is financed by China.KEN MORIYASU. China-aided trans-Africa railway line likely to transform regional trade. Nikkei Asia. August 25, 2014. The initiative is planned in tandem with the country's US$10 billion standard-gauge railway infrastructure development, to help Tanzania secure port business from Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).US, EU-Backed Lobito Corridor: A Challenger to Tanzania’s SGR Rail, Port Ambitions? The Chanzo Initiative. Access date: 2024-08-22
Location The railway line would start in Lobito, in Benguela Province, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately south of Luanda, the capital city of Angola.
From Lobito, the line would travel eastwards, cross into Zambia, to the city of Kapiri Mposhi, an estimated from Lobito. From there, the railway line would continue eastwards towards the Indian Ocean coast, as the existing Tazara Railway that measures , whose eastern terminus is the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
Overview The justification for this railway line is to promote exports of the three countries, through which the railway passes, to the continents of Europe, the Americas and Asia. The line would also increase tourism into those three countries, in addition to creating jobs and improving local economies.
The railway link would also allow the distribution of imported goods from overseas into the three African countries, as well as promote intra-African trade, among those countries.
Way forward The government of Angola is prepared to spearhead the efforts to build the Lobito-Kapiri Mposhi section of the railway line and is looking upon Zambia and Tanzania to harmonize the integration of the new construction with the existing Tazara Railway. No timelines have been made public, as of December 2020.
See also
History of rail transport in Angola Benguela Railway Rail transport in Angola TAZARA
References
External links Angola: U.S. and EU Praise Angola's Commitment to Lobito Corridor As of 9 September 2023. Plans to build Angola-Tanzania trans-African railway pick up pace As of December 2020.