By Ousman Kaliati:
Transport and Public Works Minister Jacob Hara has announced the government’s plans to invest in an electrified rail system.
He said €2 billion would be enough for the project.
Hara made the announcement in Salima District Monday during the launch of activities marking 2024 Railway Safety Week.
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He said the government wanted to enhance railway infrastructure and introduce electric trains, which he said would connect Malawi to neighbouring countries and boost international trade.
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“We intend to implement an electrified rail system that will be highly efficient and improve our access to international markets by linking us with neighbouring nations,” Hara said.
He added that over 18 people had died in train accidents in the country.
The minister said one of the factors that contributed to the accidents was people’s failure to abide by messages on railway safety signs.
“It is sad to see people sleeping on railway lines, especially when they are drunk. We, as a ministry, condemn such behaviors. Even building structures close to railway lines is not allowed,” Hara said
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On his part, Central East African Railways (Cear) Social and Community Relations Manager Towera Ng’ambi urged community members to refrain from vandalising railway equipment.
She said they spend billions of Kwacha replacing such equipment.
On the issue of trains killing people, she said they had intensified public sensitisation campaigns.
“We go around communities, sensitising people to issues such as railway safety because one of our values is community safety. We have, therefore, employed truck monitors who keep on sensitising community members to issues such as how to prevent accidents,” Ng’ambi said.
The Ministry of Transport and Public Works, through Malawi Railways 1994, is a member of the Southern African Railways Association, which is an association of railway companies in the bloc.
