Trains are expected to start operating on the Moçâmedes Railroad in August, the chairman of the railroad’s management company, Daniel Quipaxe, said Tuesday in the city of Huíla.

During the inauguration of 17 new railway stations in the provinces of Huíla and Cuando Cubango, by Transport Minister Augusto da Silva Tomás, Quipaxe noted that trains running on the line once again would carry agricultural produce and passengers.

According to Quipaxe, the train would also make it easier for small and medium-sized companies to transport their products more cheaply.

The railroad, which is 756 kilometres long, is one of the longest in Africa and links the cities of Namibe (previously known as Moçâmedes) and Menongue (formerly Serpa Pinto).

At the beginning of this month Tomás said that the Angolan government had spent over US$3.3 billion on the programme to rebuild and modernise the Luanda, Moçâmedes, and Benguela railroads.

Work to rebuild Angola’s three railroads was carried out by Chinese companies with funding from Beijing. (macauhub)