Wedoany.com Report-Nov. 22, Zambia has officially launched a US$1.4 billion modernisation programme for the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), a vital 1,860-kilometre link connecting Zambia’s copper-producing region to the port of Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean.

The ceremony in Lusaka was attended by Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, Chinese Premier Li Qiang — marking the first visit by a Chinese premier to Zambia in nearly three decades — and Tanzanian Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi. The project follows a trilateral agreement signed in September by Zambia, Tanzania, and China to restore the railway originally constructed with Chinese financing and technical assistance in the 1970s.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said: “The Tazara railway is a signature project of China-Africa corporation. China is ready to work with Zambia and Tanzania to let this railway carry hope, brim with new vigor in the new era and provide more momentum for the development of Tanzania, Zambia and Africa as a whole.”

Currently operating at reduced capacity due to years of limited maintenance, TAZARA will undergo comprehensive rehabilitation. Upon completion, the upgraded railway is expected to significantly relieve congestion at regional border crossings, where the majority of freight — particularly copper from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo — currently moves by road.

The revitalised line will enhance export routes for southern Africa’s growing mineral production while offering an alternative corridor alongside the Lobito Corridor, which connects the same copper region to an Atlantic port. The TAZARA upgrade represents a major step in strengthening regional transport infrastructure and supporting economic development across Zambia, Tanzania, and the wider African continent.