Reference News Network, October 4 report. According to the website of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, October 1 report, a Chinese state-owned construction giant that once built the TAZARA Railway will return to the project and has promised to renovate and operate the railway.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation will invest in renovating the aging TAZARA Railway.

This 1860-kilometer railway connects Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia with Dar es Salaam Port in Tanzania. The railway provides a crucial fast route for transporting copper and other minerals to the Indian Ocean.

But this decades-old railway is far from meeting the capacity demands. The renovation of the TAZARA Railway offers an alternative to the congested South African ports and puts the TAZARA Railway ahead of competing routes to other countries.

According to the Zambian Ministry of Transport and Logistics, the agreement includes repairing the railway between Dar es Salaam Port and Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia, as well as upgrading main workshops and maintaining the existing line.

The ministry said that the TAZARA Railway will also add 34 locomotives, 16 passenger carriages, and 760 freight cars, which will help enhance the capacity for mineral transportation.

Ali-Han Satchu, a geopolitical economist specializing in sub-Saharan Africa, said: "I believe China, especially China Civil Engineering, has done the calculations, forecasted the forward curves of major commodities such as copper, and I believe the results show that this is a 'sure thing' project."

Zambian Minister of Transport and Logistics Frank Talya said that the project "is not only about restoring infrastructure, but also about rekindling regional integration, economic growth, and common prosperity."

He stated on September 29 at the signing ceremony of the TAZARA Railway activation project: "This agreement will be a lifeline for farmers, traders, and industries, connecting them to cross-border and broader markets."

Tanzanian Minister of Works and Transport Makame Mbarawa agreed, saying that the project will "bring job opportunities and economic benefits to our people."

Tim Zazulcz, a researcher at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said that in addition to the short-term increase in Dar es Salaam Port's throughput and relatively shorter sailing time to China, "operating the TAZARA Railway by Chinese companies helps increase the number of Chinese customers for bulk and container night transport on this railway." (Translated by Wang Haifang)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7557304338591334952/

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