Zambia Railways Limited

Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) is a customer driven company and wholly owned by the Government of the Republic of Zambia, and is mandated under the Railways Act to operate both Passenger and Freight Services.

The company specializes in transporting heavy and bulk cargo locally, a network stretching almost 1,200 km covering the major economically strategic towns in Zambia with a link to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region railway network

ZRL was incorporated in 1982 and was set up to be the main carrier of mining raw materials and supplies.

From 2003 to 2012 the company was in private hands but little was achieved to change the once vibrant railway company to a modern firm. As a result, the Government of the Republic of Zambia repossessed the company from Railway Systems of Zambia in September 2012 with the aim of making the rail firm the main carrier of bulk cargo and passengers.