Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE and Zambia are set to construct a new bridge linking the two countries across the Zambezi River, a move aimed at banning freight trains and limiting heavy goods vehicles from using the iconic Victoria Falls Bridge to preserve the ageing structure.
The initiative also seeks to enhance visitor safety and redirect cargo to modern crossings such as Kazungula and Chirundu.
Built in 1905, the Victoria Falls Bridge is over 120 years old and is no longer suited for modern loads, including 30-tonne trucks.
The two countries plan to build a new road and rail bridge a few kilometres downstream on the Zambezi River.
Heavy cargo will use the new route, while the historic bridge will remain open for light traffic, passenger trains, and tourists.
According to media reports, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema announced the decision during the Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ) Conference in Livingstone.
He said the two neighbouring countries had agreed to construct a new road and rail bridge across the Zambezi River to handle heavy traffic. The project is a crucial initiative aimed at linking Zimbabwe and Zambia, enhancing trade facilitation and improving efficiency.
President Hichilema said the move will see trains and heavy trucks permanently diverted from the old bridge once the new infrastructure is completed.
“This bridge you see here, this road and rail bridge over the falls here, we have taken a decision with Zimbabwe that we don’t want heavy traffic anymore here,” said President Hichilema.
“We don’t want trains, we don’t want 30-tonne truckers going through this bridge. It’s not a new bridge; it’s over 100 years old. So, we want to build another road and rail bridge a few kilometres downstream — a new road and railway — and divert traffic. As you enter Livingstone before a tollgate somewhere there, you turn off to the left and go down. It’s already marked. You go downstream, and we will have a new road and rail there.”
According to a private magazine, Travel and Tour World, the decision by Zambia and Zimbabwe to restrict heavy freight traffic stems from growing engineering concerns around the ageing Victoria Falls Bridge.
The structure, completed in 1905, was designed in a vastly different era when transport loads were lighter and traffic volumes were minimal compared to today’s standards. Over the decades, freight intensity has increased dramatically, placing repeated stress on the steel framework and suspension system. Engineers have warned that continued exposure to heavy cargo vehicles and trains could accelerate structural fatigue, potentially compromising long-term stability.
This development follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed this month by Zimbabwe and Zambia for the construction of a strategic railway line from Lion’s Den in Zimbabwe to Kafue in Zambia.
The MoU was signed by Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona and his Zambian counterpart, Frank Tayali, during a meeting of the Emerging Railways Properties (Pvt) Limited (ERP) Council of Ministers in Victoria Falls.
The 311-kilometre railway line will traverse multiple areas in Zimbabwe, including Chirundu, Hurungwe Safari Area, Makuti, Chakuti, and Lion’s Den, while covering four districts in Zambia — Kafue, Mazabuka, Chikankata, and Chirundu. Of the total length, 94 kilometres will be in Zambia and 217 kilometres in Zimbabwe.
The project follows the existing highway alignment and will use the 1067mm Cape Gauge, with provisions for future upgrade to Standard Gauge. Sixteen stations and two marshalling yards will be established along the route. The estimated construction cost stands at US$2,18 billion.
Minister Mhona said the project was a manifestation of President Mnangagwa’s visionary leadership.
“We have been championing the issues related to the Vision 2030 agenda, where we are going to be having an upper middle-income society as a map.
“We are not looking at our countries in isolation, we are looking at the entire corridor. In this particular case, we are looking at the Beira Corridor. We had massive benefits attributed to that corridor as a result of logistics, so that anyone into logistics will favour that country.” Minister Mhona said.
He also revealed that work on the Chirundu Border Post would commence in June, further enhancing connectivity and ease of doing business.
“We are talking of ease of doing business in terms of lowering costs. If logistics costs are high, it goes back to the grassroots, where you are impacted on the pricing model. We want to resuscitate our railway line so that we ease the burden on our roads. The cost of reconstructing our roads will be less because we won’t have the routine maintenance — the burden will have been transferred back to the track,” he said.
Zambia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, Frank Tayali, dismissed rumours that Zambia was not committed to the corridor, affirming his country’s dedication to regional connectivity.
“We must at all costs promote regional connectivity. There were rumours that we may not be interested in this particular corridor, but the contrary is actually true. Zambia will do everything possible to open up as many corridors as possible,” Minister Tayali said. “Evidence is already there that the more we have put priority on other corridors, other than the traditional corridors, we have seen the cost of transportation actually come down.”
Minister Tayali cited competition between the ports of Dar es Salaam and Beira as evidence of how new routes drive down costs, noting that Tanzania had moved to offer concessions on port handling fees.
