ZAMBIA Railways (ZRL) has signed a $US 20m contract with Worldwide Rail and Mining Solutions (WWRMS) which will overhaul, rebuild and upgrade six GT type 2.68MW diesel freight locomotives in order to improve fuel efficiency, enhance reliability and extend working life.
The project is being implemented under a vendor-financed deferred payment structure, enabling work to proceed without full upfront capital payment. ZRL says that the $US 20m will be repaid with revenue generated by services operated by the upgraded locomotives, which are expected to each haul at least 43,300 tonnes per month.
Work will be carried out at the main ZRL workshops in Kabwe. The first two locomotives are expected to return to traffic between May and June, followed by the next two in August and the final two between November and December.
A total of 15 ZRL staff will participate in the rehabilitation programme as part of a structured knowledge and skills transfer initiative designed to strengthen internal maintenance capacity and operational sustainability, according to ZRL.
“By rehabilitating our own locomotives, we are not only restoring critical national assets but also improving reliability, increasing freight volumes and reducing reliance on hired locomotives,” says ZRL managing director, Cuthbert Malindi.
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