Zambia: TAZARA temporarily suspends operations between New Kapiri-Mposhi and Kasama! [update]

update (25 February 2022): TAZARA has announced that the repair work of the Chambeshi Railway Bridge in Zambia will finally start in March 2022. The repairs are expected to be completed in four months' time, so that train operations across the Chambeshi Railway Bridge can resume in July 2022. We'll keep you posted!

update (18 February 2022): According to an update on TAZARA's Facebook page, funds have already been provided by the Government of Zambia for the repair of the Chambeshi Rail Bridge. However, the tender process is yet to be completed, particularly with regard to the terms of engagement of the contractor, who has already been selected and is geared to move on site. We'll keep you posted!

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) has announced that train movements between New Kapiri-Mposhi and Kasama in Zambia are temporarily disrupted to allow for repairs on the Chambeshi Rail Bridge, which suffered major damages from a goods train accident that occurred on 13 May 2021. The section of the track between Chambeshi Station and Kasama Station, a stretch of 83 km, has been closed to passenger trains. TAZARA's passenger trains in Zambia are currently only running between Kasama and Nakonde until further notice. However TAZARA's cargo wagons are being propelled across the Chambeshi Rail Bridge without locomotives, a measure that will guarantee uninterrupted deliveries of cargo to and from Kapiri-Mposhi. According to Head Public Relations, Conrad Simuchile, TAZARA is anticipating to resume normal operations within 12 weeks. We'll keep you posted!

Chambeshi Rail Bridge
© TAZARA

Please note that TAZARA's cross border passenger operations between Tanzania and Zambia are still suspended!

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) is a bi-national railway, jointly owned by the Government of Tanzania and the Government of Zambia on an equal share-holding basis. The 1,860 km-rail runs from Tanzania and East Africa’s major seaport of Dar es Salaam into the heart of Zambia's Central Province, terminating at New Kapiri-Mposhi, where it is further linked by road and rail to Zambia's capital city, Lusaka (about 200 km), Zambia's mining nerve centre, the Copperbelt province (about 100 km) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).