The government of Angola plans to spend $453.6 million to buy 100 new locomotives from US group GE as well as on modernising older ones, according to two presidential orders.

The orders report that that the investment will be funded by a credit line to Angola from the US Export and Import Bank, according to Portuguese news agency Lusa.

One of the orders also authorises the contract to acquire 100 GE C30-ACi model locomotives from AEnergia.

The second order authorises the contract with the same company to provide services with the same company and with the same kind of funding from the Exim Bank for modernisation and upgrade of existing locomotives, of the GE U20C model, amounting to $24.15 million.

Meanwhile, the US Export-Import Bank opened a second credit line of $500 million, which will be used by Angola to refurbish railway rolling stock maintenance workshops in four cities: Luanda, Lobito, Huambo and Lubango.

Reconstruction of the Angolan railway network, destroyed by civil war, between 2005 and 2015 cost over $3 billion, according to information provided in February by the Angolan Minister of Transport, Augusto da Silva Tomás.

Reconstruction of the three national lines built during the colonial period – Benguela, Luanda and Moçâmedes – with a combined length of 2,612 kilometres and construction from scratch of 151 railway stations has cost the Angolan state $3.5 billion.

Source: Macauhub