DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) said on Friday its passenger train services between Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia will reopen in September.
A statement issued by TAZARA headquarters in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam said TAZARA passenger train services between the two destinations were suspended in March 2020, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statement said the services will resume immediately after the reopening of the Chambeshi railway bridge on the Chambeshi River in northeastern Zambia. The reopening of the bridge has been delayed due to unforeseen challenges faced in completing the works by the engineering contractor, said the statement.
"The repairs are now expected to end by August 30 and the reopening of the line is consequently rescheduled to happen around September 15, 2022, after line testing," said the statement.
On Aug. 2, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her Zambian counterpart Hakainde Hichilema agreed to mobilize resources to revive the TAZARA railway to make it modern and vibrant.
TAZARA was constructed as a turnkey project between 1970 and 1975 through an interest-free loan from China, with commercial operations starting in July 1976, covering 1,860 kilometers from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. ■