On November 15 the government announced the appointment of Professor Clive Chirwa, one of the country's foremost engineers, as the new CEO of ZRL with a five-year contract.
The government has allocated Kwacha 640bn ($US 122m) to return the 1271km network to a state of good repair, while a team of experts is developing a recapitalisation programme which will set the agenda for future investment. According to ZRL company secretary Mr Nathaniel Inambao, local and international companies will be invited to bid to upgrade the network.
The Zambian government revoked the operating concession for the railway from New Limpopo Bridge Projects Investment in September and seized all of the assets of Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ), claiming the company made no discernible upgrade of the network during its nine-year tenure.
