Editing Transport in Zambia

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}This article is about the '''Transport in [[Zambia]]'''.

==Railway==
{{main|Zambia Railways|Railway Systems of Zambia|Rail transport in Zambia}}

There is a total of 2,157&nbsp;km (2008) of railway track in Zambia.

===Principal lines===

* [[Zambia Railways]] Limited (ZRL) – {{RailGauge|1067mm}} narrow gauge, 846&nbsp;km [[Kitwe]]-[[Ndola]]-New [[Kapiri Mposhi]]-[[Kabwe]]-[[Lusaka]]-[[Livingstone, Zambia|Livingstone]]-[[Zimbabwe]] with several freight branches mostly in the [[Copperbelt]] totalling 427&nbsp;km including to [[DR Congo]]. Passenger services between Kitwe and Livingstone only.
* [[TAZARA Railway]] – {{RailGauge|1067mm}} narrow gauge, 891&nbsp;km in Zambia: New [[Kapiri Mposhi]]-[[Mpika]]-[[Kasama, Zambia|Kasama]]-[[Dar es Salaam]]

===Notable Branch lines===

* Maamba Colliery Railway, [[Choma, Zambia|Choma]] to [[Masuka, Gokwe South District|Masuka]], built to carry coal.
* The [[Mulobezi Railway]] (also known as Zambezi Sawmills Railway) is a narrow gauge line constructed to carry timber from [[Mulobezi]] to Livingstone. Has been reported at various times as defunct, currently listed in Railtracker (see 'Railway Network Map' below) but operating status not confirmed. 
* Mulungushi Commuter Line, later Njanji Commuter Line managed by ZRL, operated from 1991 to 1998 in Lusaka from the Chilenje-Libala to George townships (16&nbsp;km); bids invited by the privatisiation board in September 2005 for re-opening it.

=== Railway links with adjacent countries ===

* {{flagicon|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} [[Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo|DR Congo]] – yes, [[Ndola]] to [[Sakania]] then Lubumbashi – {{RailGauge|1067mm}}, freight only. (For extensions and reconstruction beyond Lubumbashi see the [[Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo#Railways|DR Congo]] article).  The current operating status of Chililabombwe-DR Congo link not known.
* {{flagicon|Tanzania|}} [[Transport in Tanzania|Tanzania]] – yes, from [[Kapiri Mposhi]], border crossing at Nakonde, Zambia, to Dar es Salaam, TAZARA railway, passenger and freight –  {{RailGauge|1067mm}}
* {{flagicon|Malawi}} [[Transport in Malawi|Malawi]] – [[Chipata]]-[[Mchinji]] new link opened to traffic in 2010.
* {{flagicon|Mozambique}} [[Transport in Mozambique|Mozambique]] – no direct link, but indirectly to Beira and Maputo via Zimbabwe (no continuous passenger services).
* {{flagicon|Zimbabwe}} [[Transport in Zimbabwe|Zimbabwe]] – yes, from Livingstone via the [[Victoria Falls Bridge]] to [[Bulawayo]], freight only.
* {{flagicon|Botswana}} [[Transport in Botswana|Botswana]] – no direct link, indirectly via Zimbabwe (no continuous passenger services).
* {{flagicon|Namibia}} [[Transport in Namibia|Namibia]] – no direct link.
* {{flagicon|Angola}} [[Transport in Angola|Angola]] – no direct link – but indirectly via DR Congo to Benguela on the [[Benguela Railway]] – same gauge {{RailGauge|1067mm}}, while the railway was inoperable for many years because of the Angolan Civil War, it has been recently reconstructed.

===Proposed extensions===

==== 2007 ====
on 25 August 2007.<ref>[http://railwaysafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1875&Itemid=35 "Chipata Railway"], ''Railways Africa'', Friday, 2 November 2007.</ref>
* A branch line from [[Nseluka]] on the [[TAZARA Railway]] to [[Mpulungu]] on [[Lake Tanganyika]] has been proposed.<ref name="RRA">[http://railwaysafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1874&Itemid=35 Railways Africa – EXTENDING BEYOND CHIPATA<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*A connection from the Chipata Railway when completed to the TAZARA line at [[Mpika]] has been mooted.<ref name="RRA"/> This could be controversial as it would pass through or between the world-famous [[Luangwa Valley]] national parks. A more southerly route, linking [[Eastern Province, Zambia|Eastern Province]] towns such as [[Katete]] and [[Petauke]] and going to the TAZARA line at [[Serenje]] would by-pass the parks.

==== 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>

=== Stations ===
{{Main|Railway stations in Zambia}}

==== Principal towns served by rail====

===== Existing =====
{|
|-
|width="120"|• [[Lusaka]] – capital
|width="120"|• [[Kabwe]]||• [[Ndola]]
|-
|• [[Kafue]]||• [[Kitwe]]||• [[Chililabombwe]] – freight only
|-
|• [[Mazabuka]]||• [[Kapiri Mposhi]]||• [[Luanshya]] – freight only
|-
|• [[Choma, Zambia|Choma]]||• [[Mpika]]||• [[Chingola]] – freight only
|-
|• [[Livingstone, Zambia|Livingstone]]||• [[Kasama, Zambia|Kasama]]||• [[Mufulira]] – freight only
|-
|• [[Mulobezi]]|| [[Ndola]] || 
|}

== Roads in Zambia ==
{{main|Roads in Zambia}}
*

== Trade corridors ==
As a landlocked minerals producer, Trade Corridors are vital to Zambia. In Zambia's case these are road and/or rail routes which cross international borders to ports and which are the subject of international agreements on planning, use and management. They are not separate from the road and rail networks listed above, but are entities superimposed on those networks for strategic economic and trade development. They are:<ref>{{Cite book |title=Regional Transport Infrastructure Development in South Africa |publisher=JBIC Review No. 2 |date=November 2000}}</ref>
# Southern Corridor: to [[Durban]] Port via [[Johannesburg]], South Africa via Zimbabwe (road or rail) or Botswana (road).
# Maputo Corridor: As for (1) but rail or road from Johannesburg to [[Maputo]] Port, Mozambique.
# Walvis Bay Corridor: Road via Livingstone/Sesheke/Katima Mulilo to [[Walvis Bay]] Port, Namibia.
# Beira Corridor: Road to [[Harare]] or rail to [[Bulawayo]], then rail via Mutare to [[Beira, Mozambique|Beira]], Mozambique.
# Nacala Corridor: road to [[Lilongwe]] then rail to [[Nacala]], Mozambique.
# Tazara Corridor: road or rail via [[Kapiri Mposhi]] to [[Dar es Salaam]], Tanzania.
# Lobito Corridor: rail via DR Congo to [[Lobito|Lobito Bay]], Angola (not currently operational, depends on Benguala Railway re-opening).
Corridors 1 to 6 may also be used by southeastern DR Congo though Zambia.

== Water transport ==
{{ main|Water Transport in Zambia }}
Although none of the major urban centres are located on usable waterways, Zambia is a relatively well-watered country but is mainly flat, meaning there are many navigable rivers, lakes and channels through swamps, which together reach a large proportion of the rural population. These offer a minimum-maintenance rural transport alternative. In the cases of Bangweulu and Mweru Wantipa in particular, there are permanent and seasonal fishing communities for whom the only access is by boat or canoe.
[[File:Transport in Zambia 6.jpg|thumb|Men crossing the Zambezi river, Western Province of Zambia]]

===Main systems===

* 2,250&nbsp;km of principal navigable rivers, including the upper [[Zambezi]] ([[Barotse Floodplain]]), [[Chambeshi River|Chambeshi]], [[Kafue River|Kafue]], [[Luapula River|Luapula]]; and the [[Luangwa River|Luangwa]], though not always in the dry season.
* other rivers navigable to canoes and small boats seasonally or in sections include the [[Dongwe River|Dongwe]]/[[Kabompo River|Kabompo]] and [[Lungwebungu]] in the west and Luena-[[Luongo River|Luongo]] and upper [[Kalungwishi]] in the north, and numerous others. 
* Lake transport – principal navigable lakes (with main port or boating centre in brackets): [[Lake Tanganyika]] ([[Mpulungu]]), [[Lake Mweru]] ([[Nchelenge]]-[[Kashikishi]]), [[Lake Mweru Wantipa]] ([[Kaputa]]), [[Lake Bangweulu]] ([[Samfya]]), [[Lake Kariba]] ([[Siavonga]]).
* Navigable channels in swamps: the largest of these is the [[Bangweulu Swamps]] comprising hundreds of kilometres of channels over an area of up to 10,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> depending on season. Others include the upper Zambezi/Barotse Floodplain especially at Mongu, the lower Luapula, the [[Lake Mweru Wantipa|Mweru Marshes]], [[Lukanga Swamp]], and the Luena-Lufubu swamps at Mushota, Kawambwa district.

== Air transport ==
{{Further|List of airports in Zambia}}Zambia has four international airports, five airstrips and five secondary airfields that serve the domestic and international flights. The main airport is Lusaka Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. Other smaller airports include Livingstone and Mfuew, Ndola along with secondary airfields including Kasama, Kitwe, Chipata, Mongi, Mansa and Solwezi.

Zambia has an 'open skies' policy since the state-owned [[Flag carrier|national carrier]] failed. Before its demise, [[Zambian Airways]] was the only Zambia-based scheduled carrier. As of 2022, there are several scheduled carriers based in Zambia: [[Zambia Airways]], [[Proflight Zambia]], [[Royal Zambian Airlines]], and [[Mahogany Air]].

Only six of Zambia's airports see scheduled commercial flights: [[Chipata Airport]], [[Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport]], [[Kenneth Kaunda International Airport]], [[Mfuwe Airport]], [[Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport]], and [[Solwezi Airport]]. Zambia's three international airports offer passenger flights to [[Julius Nyerere International Airport|Dar es Salaam]], [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg]], [[Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport|Mbombela]], [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai]], [[Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport|Harare]], [[Addis Ababa Bole International Airport|Addis Ababa]], [[Jomo Kenyatta International Airport|Nairobi]], [[Lilongwe International Airport|Lilongwe]], [[Hamad International Airport|Doha]], [[Kigali International Airport|Kigali]], [[Sir Seretse Khama International Airport|Gaborone]], and [[Cape Town International Airport|Cape Town]].

===Airports – With Paved Runways===
''Total:'' 8<br />''Over 3,047 m:'' 1<br />''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 3<br />''1,524 to 2,437 m:'' 3<br />''914 to 1,523 m:'' 1 (2012)

===Airfields – with unpaved runways===
''Total:'' 80<br />''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 1<br />''1,524 to 2,437 m:'' 5<br />''914 to 1,523 m:'' 53<br />''under 914 m:'' 21 (2012)

== See also ==
* [[Zambia]]
* [[Zambia railways]]
* [[TAZARA Railway]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Transport in Zambia}}
* [http://www.nrfa.org.zm National Road Fund Agency website]
* [https://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/zambia.pdf UN Map]
* [https://dlca.logcluster.org/display/public/DLCA/2.4+Zambia+Railway+Assessment?preview=/12356657/60784917/ZMB_LCA_Railways_A4L_20210517.png Railway Map]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929073414/http://www.railtracker.org/RailAFFILIATES/Railways/ZR/zrrailnt.htm Railtracker (ACIS/UNCTAD) Zambia Railway Network Diagram]

{{Africa in topic|Transport in}}
{{Economy of Zambia}}
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[[Category:Transport in Zambia| ]]