Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
THE National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is today set to commission three locomotive and 100 wagons that were recently refurbished after the State-owned enterprise received a US$2,5 million injection from mining giant Zimasco under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.
The refurbishment programme, carried out at NRZ’s Bulawayo mechanical workshops, forms part of Government’s drive to strengthen private sector collaboration and revive the country’s railway transport system.
Under the agreement, Zimasco funded the procurement of critical spares and consumables valued at approximately US$2,46 million.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona is expected to preside over the commissioning.
The commissioning of the locomotives and wagons is expected to significantly enhance NRZ’s freight hauling capacity while highlighting the potential of PPPs to drive the revival of Zimbabwe’s railway infrastructure.
In a recent interview, NRZ public relations manager Mr Andrew Kunambura confirmed the development, saying the partnership had enabled the rail operator to implement a cost-effective recapitalisation programme that enhances operational capacity.
“The refurbished locomotives are DE 10A models (EMD GT22LC-2), while the wagons are High Sided Iron (HSI) type,” said Mr Kunambura.
“Work on the first locomotive began in January 2024, with the last one completed on January 28, 2026.
“The first wagon entered the workshop in August 2023. A total of 60 days (480 hours) were spent on each locomotive, while each wagon took 25 days (200 hours) to complete.
“The refurbishment has added three years of service life to the locomotives and 10 years to the wagons.”
The refurbished rolling stock will be dedicated to transporting Zimasco’s mineral commodities, primarily chrome and ferrochrome.
“This is partnership in action. NRZ and its major customer working together to unlock capacity and move more freight,” he said.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Minister Felix Mhona hailed the initiative as a key step towards restoring NRZ’s capacity and reducing pressure on the country’s road network.
“We need a functional railway line, which makes sure that we carry our cargo so that we do not burden our roads,” he said.
“I am happy that the initiative has already started under the NDS2 drive, where we are also calling for collaboration from the private sector, where they can bring in rolling stock and we reduce that on railage as they use the railway line.”
