Liu Xinsheng, Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, noted that the railway, with a designed transport capacity of 2 million tons, has long suffered from insufficient transport demand. [Maverick Chen / China.org.cn]

However, the current condition of the 35-year-old railway leaves much to be desired. Liu Xinsheng, Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, noted that the railway, with a designed transport capacity of 2 million tons, has long suffered from insufficient transport demand.

The maximum annual load that the railway transported was 1.27 million tons, which occurred back in 1977. Throughout the 1980s, its cargo load consistently decreased. Currently, its annual transport total sits at only 600,000-700,000 tons.

According to Chinese experts who continue to provide technical support to the railway, the major difficulty now facing the railway is outdated equipment. Due to lack of funds, many still-operating trains have been in need of repair for many years. Currently, only a dozen locomotives are still useable.

It is common for trains to run behind schedule. Also, because the railway is jointly managed by Tanzania and Zambia, the shared system causes inefficient resource allocation and funding.

Despite the less-than-ideal situation that the railway now faces, locals still retain hope for the future. Over more than three decades, it annually transported 500,000 tons of cargo and 500,000 passengers while playing a remarkable role in enhancing economic development of Tanzania and Zambia, two major African mineral producers.

Since the Southern African Development Community now includes the railway as part of its traffic network, the line is expected to play a bigger role in future regional economic development.

According to officials from the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), they are brainstorming whether they can upgrade the railway through private strategic investors. To relieve economic burdens on the railway authority, the Chinese government exempted 50 percent of its debts this year.

This move is expected to help Tanzania and Zambia move past the strain of a long-standing debt and further accelerate local economic development, declares Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan.