Railways in
Angola
Passenger train on the Benguela Railway.
The locomotive is a CKD8F 2300hp Co-Co diesel electric built by CRRC Dalian.
The first trains to operate in Angola ran from Luanda to Funda, a distance of about 46km, in 1888, although the line was not officially opened until the beginning of the following year. This formed the first section of the Caminho de Ferro de Ambaca, later becoming part of the CF de Luanda. Influenced by British involvement in the construction consortium, the chosen gauge was 3ft 6in (1067mm).
The majority of later railways in Angola were built to the same gauge, though the Moçâmedes Railway was originally built to 600mm gauge, being converted to 1067mm in the 1950s. Railways generally ran from the coast inland, with few north to south links, so that several independent networks developed.
The first and only international rail connection came in 1929 with the opening of the Benguela Railway from Lobito to the Belgian Congo (present day Democratic Republic of the Congo). Two years later, this railway was linked through the Belgian Congo with Northern Rhodesia (present day Zambia).
The railways were largely devastated during three decades of civil war at the end of the 20th century. Reconstruction took place in the early years of the 21st century.
In 2023, the Lobito Atlantic Railway formally assumed a concession for the operation, maintenance and upgrades of the Benguela Railway.
In 2024, concessions were signed for the construction of a new 800km railway from Luacano on the Lobito Atlantic Railway to Chingola, Zambia, where it will connect with the existing Zambia Railways network.
In 2025, the tendering process for a new concession of the CF de Moçâmedes was initiated. The concessionaire would commit to a firm proposal for a 300km branch line to Oshikango, Namibia, where it would connect with the Namibian rail network; also, optionally, to a proposal for a line connecting with the Zambia Railways network.
Also in 2025, a memorandum of understanding was signed for assessments including feasibility studies of a new 50km commuter rail line between Cacuaco and Benfica in the Luanda metropolitan area.
In 2026, construction began on a 260km branch of the Lobito Atlantic Railway from a junction at Luena on the existing line, to Saurimo.
© 2006-2026 Glyn Williams
Photo image supplied by Caminho de Ferro de Benguela