"Shortly before their scheduled 3:50pm departure on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority's (TAZARA) Mukuba Express train, an update crackled over the tannoy: the train would be leaving two hours late. A collective groan rippled through the crowd, and under the soaring roof of the station, pigeons darted back and forth, disappearing into holes left from rotted-out ceiling tiles. But nobody was really surprised."
"The railway runs from Tanzania's largest city through the country's southern highlands and across the border into Zambia's copper provinces, finally pulling into the town of Kapiri Mposhi some 1,860 kilometres (1,156 miles) away. It's a journey that, according to official timetables, should take about 40 hours. For regular passengers, it's a cheap way to reach parts of the country that are not located near main highways."
The Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) links Dar es Salaam with Kapiri Mposhi across 1,860 kilometres and should take about 40 hours by timetable. The service is frequently delayed and the infrastructure shows visible decay, such as rotted ceiling tiles at stations. The line offers very low fares and scenic long-distance travel but fails to carry the freight volumes it was designed for. The railroad celebrated its 50th anniversary yet has relied on foreign investment for basic upkeep. China has moved to rebuild portions of the line to revive freight capacity and regional connectivity.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]