Luena – The administration of the Benguela Railway (CFB) is to invest USD 3 million to repair and replace 50 wagons from South Africa, with the aim to humanize services on the Lobito/Luena route and vice versa, ANGOP found out on Tuesday.
According to the chairman of the Board of Directors, Antônio Cabral, the 50 wagons can be recovered by next November to reinforce the offer of trains on the Lobito/Luau route and vice versa.
In this context, the first batch of wheelsets arrives on Tuesday from South Africa, and, after the parts of the aforementioned vehicles, each train will have a composition of 10 wagons on the Lobito/Luau route, connecting the provinces of Benguela and Moxico, passing through Huambo and Bié.
The CEO was received by the governor of Moxico, Ernesto Muangala, with whom he discussed the prospects of this railway company, given the high demand for passengers that has been recorded in recent days, in addition to the capacity to respond.
“Before we only had ideas, but now we have money and we are doing it”, he said.
He said that given the wear and tear on the wagons that have a useful life of 10 years, the CFB only has 25 wagons to transport passengers below its capacity”.
On the occasion, the governor of Moxico, Ernesto Muangala, encouraged the company to work to solve the problems faced by the population when traveling to other parts of the province and the country.
He recommended the improvement of the organizational component, especially in the ticket sales process to avoid overcrowding.
The Benguela Railway comprises a line with a railway branch, which extends for 1,886 kilometers, from Lobito (Benguela) to Luau, in Moxico.
However, due to the lack of a road on the route between Luau - Luena and Kuito, in the province of Bié, trains have been the only means of transport for the population residing in this corridor, as well as others coming from the provinces of Lunda-Sul and Lunda-Norte. TC/YD/MRA/DOJ
