CONSTRUCTION is officially underway on the 260km Luena - Saurimo line in Angola following a groundbreaking ceremony held on January 27. The new line will extend the national rail network from the eastern provinces of Moxico to Lunda-Sul and, according to the Ministry of Transport, is the first new line to be built in the country in nearly 100 years.
The project is being delivered under a design-and-build contract by a consortium led by Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht Engenharia e Construção, alongside its Portuguese subsidiary Bento Pedroso Construções. The contract award was authorised in March 2023 and completion is scheduled within 60 months.
Infrastructure work includes 11 bridges, eight stations and two passing loops, with all engineering studies, and environmental assessments already completed.
The Luena - Saurimo line forms part of Angola’s National Development Plan and the Transport Sector Master Plan, which aim to connect Angola’s main rail corridors and enhance the country’s position as a regional logistics hub. Future phases envisage links towards Malange, Kuito and Menongue, as well as cross-border connections to Zambia, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Ministry of Transport says the new line is expected to lower transport costs and transit times for agricultural and mineral traffic, including copper, cobalt and manganese. It will also improve access to export routes via established corridors, notably to the Port of Lobito, reinforcing the port’s role in regional mineral logistics.
The project is expected to create around 2000 direct construction jobs and is positioned described by the government as a cornerstone investment project for the modernisation of Angola’s rail sector, increasing capacity for long-term freight and passenger traffic growth.
Angola’s minister for transport, Ricardo Viegas D'Abreu, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, says the project marks a strategic shift from prioritising rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, much of which was damaged by the long periods of civil war in Angola.
“The Luena - Saurimo line stands as a milestone in the modernisation of railway infrastructure and demonstrates confidence in the capacity to execute complex railway projects,” he says.
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