Friday, March 29, 2024

India to help revamp the Zambia railway system

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The government of India has offered the Zambian government to help revamp the southern African country’s railway sector to re-position it to contribute to the economic development of the country.

India’s Minister of Railways Pawan Kumar Bansal following an appeal for assistance by Transport, Works, and Supply & Communication Minister Christopher Yaluma who paid a courtesy call on him in New Delhi today.

This is contained in a statement issued to the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka today by Acting Zambia’s Deputy High Commissioner to India Bwalya Nondo.

India‘s aid to rehabilitate Zambia’s railway system will include capacity-building in technical skills, supply of rolling stocks and signaling facilities among other things.

The two Ministers have agreed to have the Board of the Zambia Railways undertake a study tour of India’s railway system soon, to workout formalities of accessing technical aid from India.

Mr. Yaluma told Mr. Bansal that a fully-fledged, reliable and expanded railway system was needed in Zambia.

“ The railway will enable Zambia increase copper exports and transportation of other goods and ease the pressure exerted on the country’s road network which is succumbed to frequently damage, “ he said.

Mr. Yaluma added that Government would also embark on an ambitious exercise to open up water canals and ensure they are maintained in order to promote maximum use of water vessels as a means of transport and facilitate informal trade.

The Minister noted that Government was also paying serious attention to road network expansion and rehabilitation across the country as part of the strategy to give impetus to Zambia’s economic revolution.

Mr. Yaluma was in India as part of Vice President Guy Scott’s delegation who attended the just ended 9th Confederation of India Industries (CII) Exim-Bank Conclave: India-Africa Project Partnership.

ZANIS

61 COMMENTS

  1. Huh,so we still building the nation?. All we hear of is investigations,arrests,political killings and riots over food shortages.

    • As local company we are participating in a tender for the supply and delivery of rolling stock and the tender closes on 12th April 2013. So this means this tender is rigged more money in the pocket my foot

    • Mr. Octopus Paul Bwalya, did you know that the Indian railways more goods and people in a single day. 25 million people per day.

      More than what several countries have to deal with for an entire year..

    • How many times have we heard of railway accidents in India, pls try British or Germany their systems are better.

    • @John is right. What rail system has India to write about for us to expect India to revamp our rail system when they have failed to modernise the old network that the colonial British masters left. Although China has recorded alot of accidents, their network is better than the Indian network

    • President should know, the British Rail system is better 🙂 India on the other hand is as bad as ZR if not worse! Choices, choices, choices…sometimes I wonder about Kaunda’s Zambianisation program. The British, Indians and so on were running the railways just fine! But they were forced out. The same thrived elsewhere.

  2. But their network also is in shambles.they dont have a rolling stock worth talking about jusr as our passenger carriages are better of than theirs.they were in Tanzania trying to revamp TRL they flopped and left the rail line messier than they found it.so bwana minister stop the rot.bwezani wanted to bring the turks what happened?

    • you are a lier! I have been to India before and had a chance to take a ride on one of there first class trains from Chandigarh to Newdelhi. It is beautiful, comfortable, contention free and fast. To say that Zambia has better train than India is laughable.

    • @ Bob mengo
      if you call that beautiful then you haven’t seen beauty yet.i also rode on it from mumbai to chennai.so simply go to china before you go on a long haul journey get on CRH from shenzhen to guangzhou.when you reach guanzhou go and stand at don franc hotel face the railway and count how many trains will pass there in an hour.i can assure you 20.
      So don’t argue for the sake of arguing because you rode on an indian train.every sensible country now is looking up to china now for railway mordenisation

  3. Why don’t we work with the Chinese or Swedish govts? These two countries are very advanced as far as railway systems are concerned.

  4. single sourcing, we shall investigate, the dossier is really thickening, these chaps will pay heavily. Laws get ready for yo fat wallets sooonest

  5. our president is sick and the requires resting away from active political life. His prostate cancer has reached an advanced stage such that urine comes out uncontrollably. A temporal measure to help in his condition is that a tube has been inserted into the urethra to collect urine into a urine bag. When he visited the Chibombo accident victims’ burial this urine collecting bag was fastened nicely and covered in his suit. Even during the famous swearing in ceremonies at state house the same strategy is used.

    • and how does this piece of news benefit you..? aah sorry I forgot you thrive on such and you rejoice…hmmm problem is you are not God….keep praying for MCS demise… aarrg

    • @ Pa Matufi – this is truly a reflection of your status – you absolutely could not have given yourself a better name. GROW UP. Your comment is completely nonsensical and unfortunately, you seem to be the type that may have gone through school but really never got educated – Shame on you

    • Pa matufi,

      huh! Thats serious.people should stop standing close to him lest it bursts.but does this man fall sick because he demonised levy and george kunda too much in their illness.he can’t fall sick how?

  6. any one been to India and seen there railsystem?? Oh the press gets free medical treatment lol. its ok, Mwanawasa even chiluba was there.

  7. We are recording for future review. Nothing will be swept under the carpet when time comes.

  8. They ride on top of trains..and even make homes on moving trains, what can we learn from them. This must be mathani’s hand of corruption to milk the 120million dollars pumped in.

  9. Not india banee. We need China or Germany on this one. We dont want to be getting on the roof of the train. Awee ba PF this one am opposing.

  10. Lets be practical when criticizing. We shouldnt just be talking without providing possible solution. Its you and me to develop this nation.

  11. Why bring in 3rd world technology when what we need is the technology to leapfrog all these wasted years by bringing in Bombadier railway systems from Canada? The Gauteng train is a good example of what works next door to us. I was on one just last week going from Park Station to Hatfield in Pretoria!! Bane, Wake up. we must work with working models and not toilet paper solutions.

  12. Great News! We need a reliable Railway Network in our Beautiful Country Zambia… The PF GVT at work…

    Plus Link Zambia 8000…Ni Zi ma critics!

  13. India has one of the worst railway systems in the world! We can do better than that honestly we do not expect to have a reliable railway system if are learning from failed systems. All we hear are fatal accidents from the Indian railways and one thinks they can contribute anything positive when theirs is ailing! These are just other 100 steps backwards.

  14. Its a good idea to ask other governments to provide funds to build the railway but we ourselves must lead the way to show that we are a serious nation. In today’s daily mail Zambia Railways has put up an advert that sees the largest number of directors ever in any company. How can a company want to have 12 Directors? This structure s too heavy. In the past Zambia Railways only had 5 Directors but it was able to function effectively. Please lets be serious and focus on lean efficient managements. Its this the quick style in Zambia doule the previous size like Zambia Cabinet. PF wa of More jobs More Money

    • With the Chinese its simple if you want cheap products they will supply you with it…if you want modern up to date products they will also supply you with it…. in short be specific.The problem we have is these dumb politicians who take the front row in decision making instead of letting technocrats decide what is best. Its no surprise a concrete structure like Levy stadium is classified as modern.

  15. This is for PF:

    Today’s African Proverb (from BBC site)

    “Beware of the naked man who offers you clothes”

  16. most of you guys are dull. mwilasusha fye m****** mwe.lets give credit when the govt is doing fine.viva minister,

  17. Mayo ine baisa ba mwenye ubwingi!! Is india the best PF can do? awe mwe. Soon you will see zambians on top of trains – is that what PF wants? lol!

  18. Ati single sourcing,these are agrements made between two different govts.a certain blogger sugested that bwezani wanted to bring the turks.some people think anything pf will do wrong is wrong.keep waiting for 2028

  19. The joke of the day….

    Have the now released that Prof Chirwa’s was just dreaming dreams ???

  20. Nonsense these same Indian railways destroyed kenya’s rail industry. Ignorance is a problem amongst PF ministers

  21. There are so many things we can case study in India like renewable energy eg Solar and Bio-fuel, ICT and the region of Bangalore the most sort out city for professionals in India. One sector populous India is not renowned for is the transport sector and rail in particular. These guys have passengers who sit on top on the carriages.
    Our politicians have no vision and are dinosaurs just relics from a begone era…Chriwa is working to build a modern rail network and the nations to to look to for that are Japan, China, France, Britain and Germany.
    Wake up Christopher Yaluma!!

  22. Sober up people…we need railways in this world! Think seriously when you discuss important issues like railways. 1 trainload = 50 trucks. Did you get me correct? where one train passes, 50 trucks could have ravaged your road. Think! How much do you spend on roads every year? Billions! And how much do you spend on railways? Zero! Support ZRL and Tazara! Is there any one listening?

  23. The offer from South Korea sounds more attractive than this one from India. Indian railway system is lagging behind the rest of Asia, we need fast trains and I think South Korea can do a good job than India. Technologically, Indian rail system is far behind what we want as a nation and I am sure Prof. Chirwa will not accept. India is talking of modernising its rail systems because they have seen that they are bad and out of date.

  24. I would rather we closely work with the Chinese in the expansion and modernization of the railway. They seem to have mastered railway technology very well.

  25. Well, the indian govt has only offered to help revamp the system.So the blue print is with us n they surely wil b doing it under our guidance.They have the skill

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