Bulawayo, (New Ziana)-The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) will on Thursday commission 100 refurbished wagons and 3 locomotives under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with ferrochrome producer Zimasco, in a development expected to boost the freight-carrying capacity of the parastatal.
In a statement on Monday, the NRZ said the rolling stock had been refurbished through funding provided by Zimasco for the procurement of critical spares and consumables.
“The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) will this Thursday commission three locomotives and 100 wagons refurbished under a PPP with Zimasco. Under the partnership, Zimasco funded the procurement of critical spares and consumables and the refurbished rolling stock will be dedicated to transporting Zimasco’s mineral commodities,” it said, adding the commissioning ceremony will be held at the Harare Station.
The NRZ described the initiative as a practical example of how partnerships with major customers can assist restore capacity and increase freight volumes.
“This is partnership in action—NRZ and its major customer working together to unlock capacity and move more freight,” it said.
The development comes as the NRZ continues efforts to recapitalise its operations after years of underinvestment, ageing rolling stock, deteriorating infrastructure and declining freight volumes.
Its recapitalisation program has traditionally focused on the rehabilitation and replacement of locomotives, wagons, track infrastructure and other equipment.
The NRZ says its broader recapitalisation program is expected to improve infrastructure and equipment as well as reduce transport costs for industry, with attempts to secure large-scale private investment facing setbacks.
A US$400 million recapitalisation deal awarded to South Africa’s Transnet was cancelled, while the parastatal has continued exploring alternative financing and partnership models.
The NRZ has increasingly turned to PPP arrangements with its customers as one way of restoring equipment to service. Under the model, customers with the financial capacity fund the repair of out-of-service locomotives and wagons in exchange for dedicated use of the refurbished assets.
The Zimasco partnership therefore provides an example of a more targeted approach to recapitalisation, allowing a major freight customer to directly support the restoration of equipment needed to move its mineral output.
The capacity constraints of the NRZ have been particularly significant for the mining sector, which relies heavily on rail to move bulk commodities.
Its freight volumes have fallen sharply from historical levels, with recent reports putting 2025 freight volumes at about two million tons, compared with much higher volumes in previous decades.
The government and the NRZ have consequently been pursuing partnerships and other funding mechanisms to rehabilitate the rail network and increase its ability to support mining, manufacturing and other sectors of the economy.
The latest Zimasco arrangement adds to those efforts, with the 100 wagons and 3 locomotives expected to provide dedicated capacity for mineral transportation, while demonstrating the potential of customer-funded partnerships to complement broader NRZ recapitalisation efforts.
New Ziana
