Railways in
Zambia
Tazara class CK6 DH1-2005, a 1300hp B-B diesel hydraulic shunting locomotive, at New Kapiri Mposhi station
The first railway arrived in what was then Northern Rhodesia in 1905 with the opening of the bridge over the Victoria Falls. The 3ft 6in (1067mm) gauge line ran for just a few miles to Livingstone, but within 5 years was extended via the capital, Lusaka, to the northern copper producing region of the country.
The next railway development took place in the late 1920s, with the opening of two major railways: one, the Benguela Railway, ran from the copper belt via the Belgian Congo (present day Democratic Republic of Congo) to Angola. The other ran west from Livingstone to Mulobezi, serving the timber extraction industry in the teak forests.
A major new development took place in 1975 with the opening of the TAZARA line from Kapiri Mposhi in northern Zambia to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. This prestigious 1850km railway was motivated in part by continued civil unrest in Angola and the Congo, which had resulted in the Benguela Railway being temporarily severed at the Zambian frontier.
The main railway spine through the country today is the Zambia Railways line from Livingstone, via Lusaka, to Kitwe in the north, used by passenger and freight trains. At Kapiri Mposhi there is a junction with TAZARA that is used by freight trains but not passenger. TAZARA has its own passenger trains, but the passenger stations of the two railways at Kapiri Mposhi are separated by a distance of around 2km. Livingstone is also the junction with the Mulobezi line, and with the line from Zimbabwe via the Victoria Falls Bridge.
In 2010, a new line opened between Chipata and Mchinji, Malawi. Although isolated from the rest of the national network, the section within Zambia was operated by Zambia Railways. In 2016, a new 389km line was authorised make connection with the national network at Serenje, however, this was not progressed and the Chipata to Mchinji line closed in 2017.
In 2019, a new bridge across the Zambezi from the town of Kazungula into the neighbouring country of Botswana opened for road traffic. The bridge includes provision for a rail line to be added. In 2023, tenders were invited for the construction of a new 435km, 1067mm gauge railway from Livingstone via the Kazungula Bridge to Moetse on Botswana, where it will connect with the Botswanan network.
In 2021, construction was reported to have started on phase 1A of Northwest Rail, a new 1067mm gauge line serving mines in the northwest of the country. Phase 1A is a 166km line from a junction with the existing network at Chingola to the town of Solwezi. Phase 1B will be a further 175km from Solwezi to mines at Kansanshi, Lumwana and Kalumbila.
In 2024, expressions of interest were invited for the complete implementation and operation of a new 192km, 1067mm gauge railway in the north of the country, running from a junction with TAZARA at Nseluka to the port of Mpulungu on Lake Tanganyika.
Also in 2024, concessions were signed for the construction of a new 800km railway from a connection with the existing Zambia Railways network at Chingola to Luacano, Angola, where Luacano, Angola, where it will connect with the Lobito Atlantic Railway.
In 2026, Zambia Railways signed a renewed business deal with SNCC of the DR Congo, aimed at boosting rail operations between the two countries, primarily using the former Benguela Railway corridor.
Also in 2026, Zambia Railways signed a memorandum of understanding with Nacala Logistics for the reopening and operation of the Chipata to Mchinji international link with Malawi.
© 2006-2026 Glyn Williams
Photo image by David Brossard from Wikimedia Commons