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Zambia government says it has an active discussions with China railways,a parastatal, about the concession of Tanzania Zambia Railways (TAZARA).

Minister of Transport and Communications, Brian Mushimba says concession period being considered is 20 years and that the level of investment per year will be agreed on.

Mr. Mushimba has explained that this is one of Government’s plan to revamp TAZARA and the objective is to have an improved and modern railway at the end of the concession period.

The Transport and Communications Minister has told ZNBC News in an interview in Lusaka today that discussions of the concession frameworks include ensuring protection of employment of the locals and also the efficiency that Government requires in a railway Company is achieved.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mushimba says studies have been concluded on the possibility of setting up a mass transit train in Lusaka.He has explained that Government has been executing a Memorandum of Understanding with a Chinese Company for the last 3 years to study the mass transit train option.

It would be an efficient way for Zambian to take a fast train from the peripheral to the central business district and it also will decongest traffic on the roads in Lusaka.