Zimbabwe: 3 locomotives and 100 wagons boost mining freight
The partnership with Zimasco revitalizes Zimbabwe's rail capacity for minerals. NRZ is also negotiating $115 million with Afreximbank to expand and rehabilitate its fleet.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) launched three refurbished locomotives and 100 wagons on Thursday, September 17, in Harare, as part of a partnership with Zimasco. The new rolling stock will be dedicated to transporting the company’s minerals, primarily chrome and ferrochrome.
Zimasco financed the purchase of spare parts and consumables necessary for the work carried out at the railway workshops in Bulawayo. According to NRZ, the refurbishment adds approximately three years of service to the locomotives and ten years to the wagons, while immediately increasing the available capacity for mining freight.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Transport, Felix Mhona, presented the initiative as a means to shift more cargo from road to rail. NRZ states that its Bulawayo workshops can restore up to five locomotives and 120 wagons per year if sufficient funding or similar partnerships are secured.
In parallel, the public company is negotiating a $115 million facility with Afreximbank. John Mangudya, CEO of Mutapa Investment Fund, indicated that this funding is intended to acquire ten locomotives and 315 wagons, as well as to repair certain sections of the railway infrastructure.
The need for recapitalization remains significant. According to data reported on Thursday by Reuters, the volume of freight transported by NRZ has fallen from a peak of around 12 million tons in the 1990s to 2 million tons in 2025, while the investment required to modernize the rolling stock and network is estimated at $600 million.
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