Chinese enterprises have facilitated international trade 34 years later by revitalizing the Benguela Railway

China Railway Construction Corporation, one of China's largest construction companies, finished building a massive railway line in Angola. (Xinhua)

Angola is located in the southwest of Africa, with rich resources and beautiful scenery. In the center of the country lies a railway artery running from the east to the west, Benguela Railway. With a total length of 1,344 kilometers, the Benguela Railway was one of the major projects in Angola's post-war reconstruction after the 27-year civil war ended in 2002. China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation Limited (CR20) won the bid to renovate the railway, and after a decade of efforts, the railway has been revitalized and become an important economic corridor for Angola. The revitalized Benguela Railway has not only brought convenience to residents along the line, but promoted the local economic development and created a large number of local jobs. In addition, the railway also becomes an important channel for southern Africa to engage in international trade.

“The Benguela Railway has undergone tremendous changes from equipment to management.”

The Benguela Railway runs from Lobito, the largest port city of Angola, in the west to Luau, a border city adjacent to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the east, passing through Benguela, Huambo and other important cities. With a design speed of 90 kilometers per hour, the railway is expected to handle 4 million passenger trips and 20 million tonnes of cargos every year. The Angolan government and people regard it a symbol of the country's economic achievements.

At the clean and bright Lobito Railway Station, many citizens are chatting while waiting for the train."I'm from Huambo. It's convenient for me to go back after the completion of the Benguela Railway," said Joao, a local citizen and security guard. When the train is ready to go, the station attendant opens the gate and passengers walk to the platform, talking and laughing.

“I have been working here for more than 30 years, and I never expected that the railway would be like this,” said Sabri Junba, a worker from the track maintenance division of Benguela Railway Bureau. The railway built in the Portuguese colonial erawas designed to transport minerals at a speed of just 30 kilometers per hour. After the independence of Angola, the civil war continued, and the railway was nearly abandoned, not to mention meeting the travel needs of the public."Today, the Benguela Railway has undergone tremendous changes from equipment to management. For example, the steam locomotives have been replaced by modern ones, sleepers have become concrete ones, many curves have been cut straight, the speed has been greatly increased, and air conditioners and electronic screens have been installed in the carriages..."According to Sabri Junba, the Benguela Railway has cut the time in half from Lobito to Benguela, improved punctuality and made train tickets cheaper than long-distance buses. Now, residents of Lobito, Benguela and other areas along the line prefer to travel by train.

Despite the challenges like various landforms such as coastal plains, hills, plateaus and swamps, and land mines left over from the civil war along the railway line, CR20 undertook the construction of Benguela Railway in the mode of general contracting in 2006. In 2017, CR20 signed the railway handover agreement with Benguela Railway Bureau, marking the completion of all construction tasks. In March 2018, the first freight train carrying more than 1,000 tonnes of manganese ore from the DRC arrived at the port of Lobito via the Benguela Railway, marking the resumption of international trade of the Angolan railway 34 years later.

The Benguela Railway has brought great changes to the residents’ livelihood along the line, with a market formed at almost every newly-built station. Not far from Negrau Station lays a busy market filled with fruits, snacks, clothing and other goods. Nila Katana, a sugarcane seller said that passengers constitute a stable source of customers and her business is going very well. "The Benguela Railway has brought us prosperity and hope," said Moysis, head of the Negrau Station.

“Thanks to the Benguela Railway, I have new skills and a steady income. I love this job.”

The Benguela Railway has promoted the economic development of Angola, provided a lot of local jobs, and trained many technicians. To thank the Chinese enterprise, the Angolan government has painted "CR20" in Portuguese on the roadbed of the Benguela Railway. Wherever the train goes, the Angolan people will remember this name.

In the control room of Lobito Station, where the Benguela Railway starts, Daniel Cankung, a local resident, watches the screen to check the train's location, and communicates with the staff on the train by telephone to confirm the arrival and departure times. Meanwhile, Ren Wen, the Chinese person in charge of the locomotive dispatching, is coordinating the avoidance of the trains with Mariano Bambi, a local resident in charge of the general dispatching of passenger and freight trains in Portuguese."It is very pleasant to work with the Chinese partners. They are very enthusiastic and skillful. I learned a lot about the Chinese way of working on dispatching, which helps me a lot,” said Mariano Bambi.

Zhang Chengliang, who is in charge of railway maintenance is instructing more than 10 local workers to deal with the sinking rails. Under the guidance of Zhang Chengliang, local workers complete the tasks step by step."I didn't speak Portuguese at first, but I can communicate with them now. I want to learn more Portuguese to better communicate with local colleagues and pass on my experience to them," said Zhang Chengliang."I have learned a lot from Mr. Zhang. Thanks to the Benguela Railway, I have new skills and a steady income. I love this job,” said Mutega, a local worker who has been working on the Benguela Railway for four years.

The CR20 reconstructed the camp building in the suburb of Benguela into a railway vocational skills training school and has trained 6 batches of talents in dispatching, measurement, electricity service, line maintenance, electric welding, mechanical operation and repair through professional knowledge learning and practical operation. There are some works designed and welded by the students with scrap parts on the school's playground. Angola welcomes such enterprises that are committed to meeting the social needs and taking social responsibility, and the Angolan Railway Institute is willing to cooperate with CR20 in more areas, said Ottoniel Manuel, director general of the Angolan Railway Institute.

By the end of 2018, the Benguela Railway had handled more than 1.03 million passenger trips, doubled the number in 2017, according to the Angolan Railway Institute. Local media believe that the Benguela Railway has not only boosted Angola's economic development, helped Angola become a new economic growth pole in Africa, but also opened up the fastest passage from southern African countries to the Atlantic Ocean. Neighboring countries also have high expectations for the Benguela Railway.