Lobito Atlantic Railway

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The Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) is a joint venture, operating trains along the Benguela railway corridor.

Contents

Route

The railway runs from Lobito, on Angola's Atlantic coast, 1300km eastwards to Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a connection to Zambia.

Joint venture

The Lobito Atlantic Railway is a joint venture between Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis, an independent rail operator. Trafigura plans to invest $455 million in Angola and up to $100 million in Congo. [1] [2]

We see the Lobito rail corridor as a partnership between the private and public sectors. A partnership of three countries – Angola, the DRC and Zambia and of three companies – Trafigura, Vecturis and Mota-Engil

— Jeremy Weir, Trafigura executive chairman and CEO [3]

The United States International Development Finance Corporation is considering a $250m investment. [4]

Operations

The company was awarded the concession to manage the Lobito rail corridor for 30 years in 2022. [1] A ceremony was held in Lobito on 4 July 2023 to mark the transfer, attended by the Presidents of Angola, Congo, and Zambia. [1] [5] [6]

The LAR will provide "a faster and safer route" for passenger trains in Angola, including the "Ombaka Express". [7] There are also plans to improve connectivity for copper and cobalt mines in Congo, [8] especially Kamoa-Kakula. [9]

The railway will use at least 1555 wagons and 30 locomotives in Angola; more, if Congo is included. [10]

Related Research Articles

Transport in Angola comprises:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Transport systems in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country. Furthermore, chronic economic mismanagement and internal conflict has led to serious under-investment over many years.

This article is about the Transport in Zambia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benguela railway</span> Railway line in Angola

The Benguela Railway is a Cape gauge railway line that runs through Angola from west to east, being the largest and most important railway line in the country. It also connects to Tenke in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and to the Cape to Cairo Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Tanzania</span>

Rail transport in Tanzania is conducted by two companies. It has historically used narrow gauge trackage, but planning and construction of new standard gauge lines is underway as of 2017.

Rail transport in Zambia is primarily provided by two systems:

Trafigura is a multinational commodity trading company domiciled in Singapore with major regional hubs in Geneva, Houston, Montevideo and Mumbai, founded in 1993. The company trades in base metals and energy. It is the world's largest private metals trader and second-largest oil trader having built or purchased stakes in pipelines, mines, smelters, ports and storage terminals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Angola</span> Angolan railway lines and services

Rail transport in Angola consists of three separate Cape gauge lines that do not connect: the northern Luanda Railway, the central Benguela Railway, and the southern Moçâmedes Railway. The lines each connect the Atlantic coast to the interior of the country. A fourth system once linked Gunza and Gabala but is no longer operational.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Overview of rail transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rail transport is provided in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo (SNCC), the Société commerciale des transports et des ports (SCTP) (previously Office National des Transports until 2011), and the Office des Chemins de fer des Ueles (CFU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beira–Lobito Highway</span> Road in Africa

The Beira–Lobito Highway or TAH 9 is Trans-African Highway 9 in the transcontinental road network being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (ADB), and the African Union. The route has a length of 3,523 km (2,189 mi) crossing Angola, the most southerly part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and central Mozambique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mota-Engil</span> Portuguese group

Mota-Engil is a Portuguese group in the sectors of civil construction, public works, port operations, waste, water, and logistics. The chairman of the board of directors is António Mota and Gonçalo Moura Martins is the company's CEO. Jorge Coelho has led the group's Executive Committee from 2008 to 2013 and currently is a consultant in Mota-Engil's Strategic Advisory Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railway stations in Angola</span>

Railway stations in Angola include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railway stations in Zambia</span>

Railway stations in Zambia include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Zaïrois</span>

The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Zaïrois (SNCZ) was the state railway company in Zaire formed in 1974 by combining several privately owned railways. It suffered from lack of maintenance of the tracks and rolling stock, weak management, and external factors such as the Angolan Civil War and the collapse of the economy of Zaire under President Mobutu Sese Seko. Despite two projects funded by the World Bank, it had virtually ceased to function by the 1990s. It was replaced in 1995 by the short-lived private company SIZARAIL, which in turn was replaced by the present Société nationale des chemins de fer du Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dikuluwe Mine</span>

The Dikuluwe Mine is a copper and cobalt mine near to Kolwezi in Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dikuluwe is the westernmost of the Dima Pit group, with Mashamba West and Mashamba East. The quarry was opened in 1975 and was planned to be connected to the nearby Mashamba West pit. The combined Dikuluwe and Mashamba West deposits are now run by La Sino-Congolaise des Mines SA (Sicomines), a joint venture majority owned by a Chinese consortium, with Gécamines holding a minority stake.

The Lobito–Dar es Salaam Railway is a planned narrow gauge railway line that connects the Angolan port city of Lobito to the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam, through the Zambian city of Kapiri Mposhi. It is an African transcontinental railroad connecting the Atlantic and Indian oceans and it is financed by China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compagnie du chemin de fer du bas-Congo au Katanga</span>

The Compagnie du chemin de fer du bas-Congo au Katanga (BCK) was a railway operator in the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and later in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zaire. Most of the lines were in the southern Katanga Province, with links to the Kasai River for transport of mineral exports down to Kinshasa and onward to the port of Matadi, and a link to the Angolan railway network for transport to Lobito on the Atlantic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanganyika Concessions</span> Former British mining and railway company operating in Africa

Tanganyika Concessions Limited was a British mining and railway company founded by the Scottish engineer and entrepreneur Robert Williams in 1899. The purpose was to exploit minerals in Northern Rhodesia and in the Congo Free State. Partly-owned subsidiaries included the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (UMHK), which undertook mining in the Katanga portion of the copperbelt, and the Benguela railway, which provided a rail link across Angola to the Atlantic Ocean. Belgian banks eventually took over control of the company. The Angolan railway concession was returned to the state of Angola in 2001.

The Luao River forms part of the boundary between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a right tributary of the Kasai River.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Boechat, Geraldine. "Presidents of Angola, Zambia and DRC get together to launch Lobito corridor". Medafrica Times. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  2. ↑ "Transfer Commences Of The Concession Of Railway Services And Support Logistics Of The Lobito Corridor In Angola To The Lobito Atlantic Railway". Railways Africa. 10 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "Angola's Lobito corridor transferred to private freight concessionaire". International Railway Journal. Retrieved Feb 23, 2024.
  4. ↑ "United States looks to invest in Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor". Mining Review. 24 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Concession for railway services transferred to Lobito Atlantic Railway in Angola".
  6. ↑ https://twitter.com/Presidence_RDC/status/1676249624389070850
  7. ↑ "Lobito Atlantic Railway concession launched". Railway Gazette International. 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  8. ↑ "Angola's Lobito Corridor Railway Handed Over To International Operator | ConstructAfrica". constructafrica.com. Retrieved Feb 23, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Ivanhoe Mines: United States Announces Support for Development of Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor at the 2023 G7 Summit". Junior Mining Network. May 24, 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  10. ↑ Ndebele, Lenin. "Trafigura-led consortium pledges R10.5bn for key rail project to link Angola, DRC and Zambia". News24. Retrieved Feb 23, 2024.
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