Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) has signed a $20 million financing agreement with Worldwide Rail and Mining Solutions (WWRMS) to rehabilitate, rebuild, and upgrade six GT locomotives rated at 3,600 horsepower. The initiative is part of ZRL’s broader effort to revitalise its fleet amid rolling stock shortages and growing freight demand on domestic and regional corridors.
Under the agreement, the locomotives will undergo full overhauls and technical upgrades to restore operating capacity, improve fuel efficiency, enhance reliability, and extend service life. Work will be carried out at ZRL’s main workshop in Kabwe on a phased schedule: two locomotives are expected back in service between May and June 2026, two more in August, and the final pair in November and December. The programme also includes knowledge transfer and technical capacity-building components.
Once operational, the refurbished locomotives will strengthen fleet reliability and support growing freight volumes across key sectors including mining, agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and cross-border trade.
The project aligns with Zambia’s broader strategy to invest in rail infrastructure and enhance its position in the regional logistics corridor network across Southern and East Africa. In November 2025, the country signed a €50 million ($58.1 million) agreement with the European Union to modernise the Livingstone–Ndola railway line, part of a wider plan to expand rail’s role in national logistics, including rehabilitation of domestic sections and investment in transnational corridors.
Beyond domestic upgrades, Zambia and Tanzania are collaborating to modernise the TAZARA railway. Lusaka is also exploring a tripartite corridor linking Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to improve access to the ports of Beira and Maputo, reinforcing the country’s ambitions to boost trade efficiency and regional connectivity.
