Replying to Bloomberg's email, a spokesman for the railway, Conrad Simuchile told the news site that TAZARA, as the 1,860-kilometer network may transport as much as 30,000 metric tons of raw materials
a month for Trafigura’s logistics unit Impala, compared with about 8,000 tons now.
“Our collaboration with Impala alone has the potential to double or triple the current annual tonnages” “Impala has the muscle to inject sufficient resources to get TAZARA to operate more efficiently.”The Trafigura unit signed a memorandum of understanding with TAZARA in January that will allow it to run its own trains on the line. Impala contracted Vecturis NV of Belgium to complete a due diligence exercise and draft a partnership proposal by April. Vecturis will operate trains on behalf of Impala.
“It is not just a matter of bringing in locomotives and wagons, but all parties are fully aware that finances need to be injected in the track itself, the workshops and the communication facilities,”Simuchile told Bloomberg.