Zimpapers Logo

Freedom Mupanedemo in KWEKWE
Government is working on a plan to establish an electric railway network system that will link the proposed Sengwa Coal Mine in Gokwe and other strategic companies such as Zimasco to improve efficiency, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo has said.

Sengwa coal fields have huge untapped coal reserves estimated to be over 538 million tonnes. In 1997, Government proposed the Gokwe North Power Station for the coal fields.

Addressing delegates during a tour of Kwekwe train station and Zimasco in Kwekwe last week, Dr Gumbo said Government had not shelved the Sengwa Coal Mine project and was actually planning to construct an electrified railway line to link the proposed venture.

“Government has the Sengwa Mine project in mind and as we work on the resuscitation of our national railways, we would also like to have an electrified railway line from Sengwa Mine and connecting with strategic companies like Zimasco, as we seek to improve efficiency,” he said. Dr Gumbo said there was need for innovative minds to turn around the National Railways. He said electrifying rail transport would improve on efficiency and reliability.

“We want to improve on the movement of our goods and passenger trains and bring back the glory days of the NRZ,” said Dr Gumbo. He said the NRZ was stuck with a significant tonnage of aluminium and copper wire that the parastatal recovered from its vandalised properties. Under a new plan to revive the parastatal, Government will replace aluminium wire with other materials to reduce cases of vandalism.

“At the moment, the NRZ is stuck with several tonnes of aluminium which have been recovered after vandalism on its infrastructure,” said Dr Gumbo.
“The NRZ has also been going around removing aluminium on its infrastructure as we prepare to replace it with other materials.”