By JAMES KUNDA –
THE refurbishment of the last 15 coaches for the golden jubilee express train has commenced in South Africa, Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) has said.
ZRL head of corporate affairs Benson Ngula said in an interview yesterday that the consignment was expected to arrive in Zambia during the first quarter of 2015 to complete the train which was earmarked for refurbishment at a total cost of US$30 million.
“The golden jubilee express train has a total composition of 30 coaches. The first consignment comprising 15 coaches arrived last month and is running while the last consignment is expected to arrive in the first quarter of next year,” he said.
Mr Ngula said the refurbishment was on course and the 15 coaches would be equipped with various features for economy, standard business and sleeper classes.
Meanwhile, Mr Ngula said the rehabilitation of the main railway line between Livingstone and Chililabomwbe was progressing well at a cost of $120 million.
“The rehabilitation exercise has gone on well and about three quarters of the work has been completed, so it should be done within schedule,” he said.
Mr Ngula added that the company had also made significant progress in the delivery of 50,000 tonnes basal dressing fertile to farmers on behalf of the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ).
