Lobito–Dar es Salaam Railway

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.

Location
The railway line would start in Lobito, in Benguela Province, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 510 km south of Luanda, the capital city of Angola.

From Lobito, the line would travel eastwards, cross into Zambia, to the city of Kapiri Mposhi, an estimated 2100 km from Lobito. From there, the railway line would continue eastwards towards the Indian Ocean coast, as the existing Tazara Railway that measures 1860 km, whose eastern terminus is the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Overview
The justification for this railway line is to promote exports of the three countries, through which the railway passes, to the continents of Europe, the Americas and Asia. The line would also increase tourism into those three countries, in addition to creating jobs and improving local economies.

The railway link would also allow the distribution of imported goods from overseas into the three African countries, as well as promote intra-African trade, among those countries.

Way forward
The government of Angola is prepared to spearhead the efforts to build the Lobito-Kapiri Mposhi section of the railway line and is looking upon Zambia and Tanzania to harmonize the integration of the new construction with the existing Tazara Railway. No timelines have been made public, as of December 2020.