‘Hurray! Hurray! Hu-!’

Stephen Mpofu, Perspective

PEOPLE across Zimbabwe will celebrate the launch today of a luxury coach service from Harare to Mutare, coinciding with the Hlanganani/Sanganai Tourism Expo, which concludes next week.

However, a full-fledged sigh of relief regarding the return of passenger trains as a permanent feature of travel in Zimbabwe will have to wait. According to a spokesperson yesterday, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) must first address the current shortage of passenger seats.

At present, Zimbabwe is expected to finalise a US$600 million agreement with China Railway International Group (CRIG) this year to rehabilitate its railway system. This development is set to position the country as the region’s central logistics hub, according to a report published in this newspaper on Wednesday by a Zimpapers correspondent covering President Mnangagwa’s visit to China.

The refurbishment of passenger trains will undoubtedly form part of the assistance from Zimbabwe’s long-standing partners, China.

Railcars, once a cherished feature on routes such as the one from Bulawayo through Somabhula to Rutenga — connecting with the railway line to Mozambique — had become popular among rural travellers.

Those travelling long distances are exposed to accidents and fatalities caused by reckless bus drivers and other motorists who exploit the absence of passenger trains, where safety is virtually guaranteed.

In other countries, authorities take a zero-tolerance approach to reckless driving as a means of protecting travellers.

Earlier this week, a local radio station mentioned a country far beyond Africa’s shores where reckless drivers are sentenced to labour in mortuaries — carrying bodies for burial — to help them grasp the real-life consequences of their dangerous habits.

Such punishment, rather than smashing windscreens of daredevil drivers, is more likely to ensure greater safety on both urban and rural roads, where policing in the latter is often irregular.