Construction of the Chipata-Mchinji railway is scheduled to be completed before the end of this month.
Project manager Ernest Silwamba said 95 percent of construction works on both the railway line and the station terminal building have already been done.
Mr. Silwamba said construction on the rail line will be completed by the mid February.
He was speaking during a NACALA Corridor Development meeting in Chipata yesterday.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
Mr. Silwamba said the remaining works include ballasting of two kilometers and three yard lines.
He added that lifting and aligning of four kilometers of the main line and four yards and the rehabilitation of the station building will be done within the month of February.
Meanwhile, the Malawi has commended the Zambian government for putting up resources to complete the 27 kilometer stretch of the Chipata-Mchinji railway line.
Malawian delegation leader, Stephen Mkandawire said the Zambian government had shown commitment in the Chipata-Mchinji railway which he said is an economically viable project.
Mr. Mkandawire said President Rupiah Banda and his Malawian counterpart Bingu Wamutharika played a critical role in the completion of the railway project.
He noted that the existing warm relationship between the two countries and their leaders would further be strengthened as the project would continue uniting Zambia and Malawi.
And Central and Eastern African Railways (CEAR) Director of Marketing and Commercial Services, Wilfred Ali, said vandalism on the railway line was the greatest challenge in the development of the NACALA Corridor.
Mr. Ali said the NACALA Corridor was a major economic target for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
He noted that the most common form of vandalism in the railway was the removal of stones and rail sleepers.
Mr. Ali said part of the 510 kilometer stretch of the rail line in Malawi was vandalized and needed emergency repair works.
He noted that a number of bridges on the railway line had also been vandalized.
He stated that CEAR had engaged the local community and area Members of Parliament in sensitizing people against vandalizing the infrastructure in Malawi.
Mr. Ali emphasized the need to ensure that the vandalism in Malawi did not spill over into Zambia.
Meanwhile, a contractor, Ziyaundin Daya, has commended the Zambian government for contracting local contractors to carry out works on the Chipata-Mchinji railway.
Mr. Daya said government was promoting local contractors through giving them big projects such as the Chipata-Mchinji railway.
He however, expressed concern that revenue officials in both Zambia and Malawi were slow to clear cargo that was meant for the completion of the railway line.
Mr. Daya cited an incident where it took close to four hours for the train carrying ballast stones to be cleared simply because border authorities in both countries did not have transport to the point where the train was to be cleared.
ZANIS
and wot are we meant to do with a 95% complete railway?? ride on it for 95% of its lenght and then drop off and walk the 5%?? can zambians learn to report news of subtstance pliz! we want to hear of solid developments not ifi! its like your wife been told by the doctors that you should not ejaculate in her until she heals and then she comes and says that she has been to the doctor and they said that she has recovered 95%, so wot? do you expect the husband to have sex and pull breaks at 95 percent?? professor walai and sons
Well done. We are getting there as the project will be completed soon. Lets not heed the naysayers who never have anything positive to say.
It’s about time this was done, this way our relatives can earn their use their own money to board a train to Zambia lol. How does one even vandalize a bridge? That’s not even feasible in any brain I know, wait I do know some shaisty individuals and family members lol. Wow! The Zambian part of the rail was only 27 kilometres and has taken 26 years to complete, I have heard of siestas but this is a little ridiculous hahahahaha. 27 kilometres, my cousins and I would have finnished that carrying sleepers and rail in Scott carts in two years max.