| Type | Parastatal |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Headquarters | Bulawayo, Zimbabwe |
| Key people | Mike Karakadzai, general manager |
| Products | Rail transport, Cargo transport, Services |
| Owner(s) | Republic of Zimbabwe (100%) |
| Employees | 7,543 (2008)[1] |
| Website | www.nrz.co.zw |
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is the parastatal railway of Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe railway system was largely constructed during the time of British colonial rule, and part of it represents a segment of the Cape-Cairo railway. Until 1980 it was called Rhodesia Railways (RR).
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NRZ operates about 3,000 km of rail at the 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge providing passenger and freight services. The gauge is standard for all of southern Africa. NRZ has an important transit function in the southern part of Africa and is well linked with neighboring countries: toward the north, at Victoria Falls the system links to the Zambia Railways, crossing the Victoria Falls Bridge. Toward the Indian ocean the system links to the Beira Railroad Corporation in Mozambique. A second line toward Mozambique reaches Maputo. To the west, a connecting line link ups to Botswana Railways to reach South Africa, eventually reaching Durban and Cape Town. A direct line to South Africa from Bulawayo was opened in 1999 by the Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway. The 313 km Gweru-Harare section is electrified at 25 kV AC.
Steam locomotives are still used in Zimbabwe; they have proven so popular with tourists that there are plans to refurbish several more steam locomotives.[2] However, funding is constrained, and diesel-hauled freight transport is a higher priority.[3]
The NRZ has also suffered of the general decline of the country's economy. Neglect of maintenance, lacking spare parts and overdue replacement of equipment have led to a situation were only part of the railroad net is in good condition and equipment problems have led to reduced service. Steam locomotives have been reintroduced since 2004 as coal is in relatively good supply, while diesel must be imported and electricity shortages are common. Further, the company is seriously indebted, making it impossible to solve this situation without external help.[4] Goods transport has declined, from 18 million tonnes in 1998 to 2 million tonnes in 2010.[5]
| Line | Stations | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria Falls - Bulawayo | Link from Victoria Falls to Zambia Railways, Zambia | |
| Bulawayo – Harare | Link from Malvernia to Maputo, Mozambique | |
| Bulawayo – Francistown |
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Part of the line is in Botswana
Connects further to Mafeking, South Africa In 1911 Rhodesia Railways was granted a special agreement to preserve its rights of access under the Tati Concessions Land Act, which formally annexed a former territory of Matabeleland, an area including Francistown, to the Bechuanaland Protectorate (modern Botswana). |
| Harare - Shamva/Kildonan/Zawi | ||
| Harare – Mutare | Link from Mutare to Beira Railroad Corporation, Mozambique | |
| Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (privately owned) |
Connects to Beitbridge, South Africa.
The privately-owned Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR) provides a direct rail link to South Africa. This railway was opened in 1999 and will become part of the NRZ after 30 years. |
The Zimbabwe National Railways Museum is in Bulawayo; it has a selection of locomotives, railway carriages and other interesting things. One of the exhibits is a Rhodesia Railways class DE2 diesel locomotive.
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