NRZ records 50% surge in passengers

THE National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has recorded a 50% increase in the number of passengers using its trains following the deployment of new coaches early this year, an official has claimed.

Early this year, NRZ leased the equipment comprising 13 locomotives, 200 wagons and 34 coaches from South African rail utility, Transnet and DIDG Consortium as the interim solution equipment.

So far, 10 locomotives, 200 wagons and seven coaches have been delivered.

"The seven coaches were deployed on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls route. This is where we have put the seven coaches and we have already realised an increase in patronage, where initially with our brown coaches, we were carrying around 200 passengers, but with the deployment of these new coaches we have so much interest and the coaches right now are recording numbers that are over 300 in terms of patronage," NRZ spokesperson, Nyasha Maravanyika told journalists at a Press conference in Bulawayo on Wednesday.

He said they received 10 locomotives comprising of six U34 and four D43s.

Maravanyika said the U34s were the lighter on their railway gauge while the D43s were a little bit heavier.

"The D43s are going to be deployed between Dabuka and Harare. That's where we have the rail that can sufficiently support the D43s. They are also computerised, that is the line where we had electrified before the vandalism took its toll," he said.

Maravanyika said they have deployed all 200 wagons to their customers across the country.