Editing Transport in Zambia (section)

==== 2006 ====

Zambia's North-West Extension – 8 February 2006 – Preparatory work is going forward on Zambia's proposed new north-western extension railway from [[Chingola]] to [[Solwezi]], estimated to cost about $US235m.  The area has excellent mining potential which cannot be exploited effectively without rail facilities.  The route has been surveyed and the implications of compensating land owners are being worked out.<ref name="RailwaysAfrica_2011-05-31">
{{Cite news|url=http://www.railwaysafrica.com/blog/2011/05/zambian-north-west-railway-2/
|title=ZAMBIAN NORTH-WEST RAILWAY|author=Enoch Kavindele
|publisher=Railways Africa|location=Johannesburg, South Africa|date=31 May 2011
|access-date=8 May 2012}}</ref>

Australian and American interests are examining the project and the [[Development Bank of Southern Africa]] (DBSA) may help with finance.  The [[United States Trade and Development Agency]] (USTDA), another prospective source of funding, is also looking at the scheme.  Hopes have been expressed that the new line might eventually be extended to [[Mwinilunga]] and even to join Angola's [[Benguela Railway]] without relying on the DR Congo link, to restore what was until the 1970s Zambia's main route for exporting copper and other metals. In April 2012, according to newspaper reports, the Zambian government "has issued a permit to North-West Railway Company (NWR) for construction of the 554&nbsp;km railway line from Chingola to Jimbe on the Angolan border".<ref name="TimesZ_2012-04-10">{{Cite news
|url=http://www.times.co.zm/?p=4052|title=Govt okays North-West Railway
|author=Maimbolwa Mulikelela|date=10 April 2012|publisher=Times of Zambia
|access-date=8 May 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="AfricaReview">{{Cite news|url=http://www.africareview.com/Business+++Finance/New+Zambia+railway+investors+get+green+light/-/979184/1384202/-/vw95tw/-/index.html
|title=New Zambia $1bn railway investors get green light|date=11 April 2012
|author=ZHINHUA|publisher=Africa Review|location=Nairobi, Kenya
|access-date=8 May 2012}}</ref>

The Angolan transport ministry plans to build a line branching off the Benguela Railway at [[Luacano]] and entering Zambia from [[Macango]],<ref name="Mintrans_rede-ferroviaria-nacional">[http://www.transportes.gv.ao/reabilitacao-da-rede-ferroviaria-nacional Details of lines to be rehabilitated and newly built at the web site of the Angolan transport ministry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419031735/http://www.transportes.gv.ao/reabilitacao-da-rede-ferroviaria-nacional |date=19 April 2014 }}</ref> thus avoiding [[Democratic Republic of Congo|DR Congo]] territory. The establishment of this direct link was also subject of talks during the visit of an Angolan delegation to Lusaka in May 2012. "The Benguela Railway will improve relations between the two countries as well as transportation of goods. It is encouraging that the railway on the Angolan side will reach the border by next year," said Keith Mukata, Zambian Deputy Minister for Commerce, Trade, and Industry.<ref name="TimesZ_2012-05-09">
{{Cite news|url=http://www.times.co.zm/?p=8706|title=Angola ready to 'oil' Zambia|publisher=Times of Zambia
|location=Lusaka, Zambia|date=9 May 2012|access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>