LOBITO, Angola, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Angola launched an international tender for the management and maintenance of the Lobito Corridor railway infrastructures on Wednesday, authorities said.

Bidders for this project, located in the western Benguela province, must have technical and financial capacity and extensive experience in operating this type of infrastructure, said Transport Minister Ricardo de Abreu.

The concession period will be of 30 years, during which, the successful tenderer will manage the transport of large cargoes, with greater predominance for ores and fuels, while the public service of passenger transport and small cargo will remain under the Benguela Railway management, he added.

The minister revealed that the Angolan state has invested over 2 billion U.S. dollars in the rehabilitation and modernization of Lobito Corridor's infrastructures to make it available to economic agents and citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia, to allow greater regional and intercontinental economic integration.

"We are certain that this is a decisive package for increasing the competitiveness of the region's export products, and (to) reduce the (living) costs of the populations in the countries of the region," the minister said.

The Lobito Corridor has a set of rail, port, airport, and road infrastructures that connect the coastal Lobito city to the DRC and Zambia, with the advantage of being the shortest corridor with access to a port. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)