Zambia Railways Records Reduction in Passanger Traffic Due to Drought

Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) says it has seen a reduction in passenger traffic due to drought as most of the clients are farmers who move products from one town to another.

Speaking in an interview with Money News, Company Public Relations Manager Sombe Longwani revealed that heavy and bulk cargo also saw a challenging start to this year as a result of the drought.
Ms. Longwani noted that this scenario has negatively affected business operations for the firm.

She however stated that the company is making strides to enhance its capacity company to improve the business.

Meanwhile, Ms. Longwani said the K55 million grant Zambia Railways received from government in 2022 to carry out maintenance works on the mainline and Mulobezi line, has helped in speeding up the movement of trains.

She explained that the grant has helped the firm to work on temporary speed restriction areas that require trains to move at a very low speed owing to the deplorable state of the rail-line.

Ms. Lombe however said the company is still waiting for major upgrades to improve the movement of locomotives.