China, Tanzania and Zambia sign agreement for $1bn rail revitalisation

China, Tanzania and Zambia have signed an initial agreement to revitalise a 1970s railway line to improve rail-sea transportation in resource-rich East Africa.

Looking out the window at the train and the view, TAZARA, Tanzania Zambia Railway, Tanzania

The TAZARA railway, Tanzania (Image: Mithrax via AdobeStock - stock.adobe.com)

China’s President Xi Jinping witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding on refurbishing the 1,860km (1,156-mile) Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) railway with the Tanzanian and Zambian presidents who were in Beijing attending the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Reuters reported.

In February, China proposed spending US$1 billion to rehabilitate the railway via a public-private partnership model.

China originally funded the single-track TAZARA railway with an interest-free loan. It was constructed by Chinese and African workers between 1970 and 1975. The railway offers a cargo transport route from Zambia’s copper and cobalt mines to the sea on Tanzania’s coast.

“China is willing to take this summit as an opportunity to make new progress in the revitalisation of the Tanzania-Zambia railway, cooperate to improve the rail-sea intermodal transport network in East Africa, and build Tanzania into a demonstration zone for deepening high-quality China-Africa Belt and Road cooperation,” said Xi, according to state media.