The Luanda Railway or Angola Railway (Portuguese: Caminhos de Ferro de Luanda (CFL)), is a 424 km railway-line from the Angolan capital Luanda to Malanje for normal passenger and freight service. The Angolan civil war left the railway non-operational. In 2005, a 350 million US Dollar rehabilitation project was launched with funding from the China International Fund. From its terminal at the Atlantic port of Luanda, the railway heads inland towards Eastern Angola, but ends halfway.
The project included the construction of 16 stations and 40 bridges. Attention to a number of drainage culverts and tree planting are among the few tasks yet to be implemented by the “China Ferrovia Group 20″ contractor.
In 2010, a passenger service resumed between Luanda and Malanje; Angola's Deputy Minister of Transport, José João Kuvingwa suggested that full operation could resume in 2011.[1][2] In July 2010, a twice-weekly freight service began, between Dondo and Luanda. In November 2010, CFL announced hourly passenger trains between Viana and Textang;[3] in December 2010, container services commenced, serving a dry port near Viano,[4] and in January 2010 the first train reached Malanje, but no daily service is running so far (2011)[5]
In Mid-July 2011, the CFL announced the introduction of electronic ticketing on an experimental basis for interprovincial journeys, beginning July 18.[6]
The government of Angola has stressed that competition from private rail businesses is welcome, in order to improve services.[7]