Tanzania-Zambia railway shows signs of improvement: official

The Board of Directors of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) said the railway firm has started showing signs of improvement, a communique said.

The communique, issued after the 108th meeting of the Board of Directors, the Zambian capital, said the railway firm raised its annual performance from 87,000 tons of freight in the financial year 2014/2015 to 130,000 tons in the financial year 2015/2016, which translated into revenues of 13.50 million U.S. dollars for the year ending June 30, 2016.

The communique further noted that there were improvements in both the inter-state and commuter passenger train operations, which were now not only running on time but also operating cost-effectively in some units.

"In this regard, while commended for the improvements so far, the management was urged not to relent but to go further and apply more efforts to eliminate all losses in all units and aim to attain the break-even point in all operations," the communique added.

The Board has since proposed management's plans for a projected 381,000 tons of freight and 2,280,000 interstate and commuter passengers to be transported in the financial year 2016/2017.

The 1,860-kilometer railway line, built with the assistance of the Chinese government in the 1970s, runs from the Zambian town of Kapiri Mposhi to the Port of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania. Endit