Liberalise railway sector, says think-tank

BUUMBA CHIMBULU writes @SunZambian GOVERNMENT should change the policy environment and encourage private train operators to join the rail sector industry, the Policy Monitoring and Research Centre (PMRC) has advised. The operators can then be charged for use of rail track, thereby boosting Government revenues, says PMRC Executive Director, Bernadette Deka-Zulu. Zambian Railways Limited (ZRL) and Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) are the two main players in the rail sector. Ms Deka-Zulu observed the need to encourage private players in the rail sector to boost Government’s revenue. She said the rail line operations should be unbundled through the creation of the Railway Development Agency, so that rail infrastructure development and management were separated from operations. “ZRL will focus on running its business operations competitively and in a sustainable manner without focusing on maintenance and investment in rail track infrastructure,” she said in her analysis on the railway sector in Zambia. After liberalisation of the rail sector, she said, Government would then need to institute a regulatory body to monitor market performance. Ms Deka-Zulu said the body would also need to monitor competition and safety issues to complement the work of the General Inspector of Railways at the Ministry of Transport and communications. “Zambia should engage in bilateral/multilateral railway route management groups with other countries to collaborate on rail use and infrastructure development to increase volumes and ensure the sustainability of the rail sector,” she said. She also urged Government to continue with maintenance and upgrading of rail infrastructure to reach the desired speed of 80 kilometres per hour for freight trains and 120 kilometer per hour for passenger trains. Ms Deka-Zulu indicated that the railway system in Zambia was comprised of an extensive network of surface transport with the potential to offer safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly transport across the country. She said it also offered efficient, and environmentally friendly transport and the region, connecting all major centres of economic activity and facilitating growth.