On 30 October 2026 Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced a bilateral agreement with Angolan President Joao Lourenco to pursue a major cross-border railway connection linking the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts through Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and Tanzania. The initiative would integrate Angola’s Benguela Railway (Lobito Corridor) with the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) network to create a continuous east–west transport corridor between the port of Lobito and the port of Dar es Salaam. The announcement followed Lourenco’s state visit to Tanzania.
The agreement is at the planning and cooperation stage: neither governments have disclosed a construction start date, completion timeline, financing structure or the precise alignment of the missing connecting sections. The proposal builds on ongoing rehabilitation and investment programs: a US$1.4 billion China-backed agreement for TAZARA modernisation (2025), a US$553 million DFC loan and a further US$200 million DBSA commitment for the Lobito Corridor, and recent contracts awarded to Webuild for sections of the Zambia–Lobito corridor. Next steps identified in reporting include multilateral coordination among Tanzania, Angola, Zambia and the DRC on standards, financing responsibilities, border operations and cross-border railway management.
Lead
On 30 October 2026 Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced that Tanzania and Angola have agreed to pursue a major cross-border railway connection linking the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts through Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and Tanzania. The announcement followed discussions with Angolan President Joao Lourenco during his state visit to Tanzania. The stated objective is to integrate Angola’s Benguela Railway (part of the Lobito Corridor) with the Tanzania–Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) network to create a continuous east–west transport link between the Port of Lobito and the Port of Dar es Salaam.
Project facts
Project name: Not publicly disclosed
Location: Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Tanzania
Owner: Not publicly disclosed
Timing: Agreement announced 30 October 2026; construction start date and completion timeline Not publicly disclosed
Scope: Integrate Benguela Railway (Lobito Corridor) and TAZARA to establish continuous rail connectivity between Lobito (Atlantic) and Dar es Salaam (Indian Ocean); construction of missing connecting railway sections and coordination of rehabilitation and upgrades across participating networks
Technical parameters: Existing infrastructure includes Benguela Railway and TAZARA; additional alignment lengths reported for Lobito Corridor program: approximately 515 km of new railway in Zambia and 315 km in the DRC; further technical standards, track gauge compatibility and border-operational arrangements Not publicly disclosed
Value and financing: Not publicly disclosed for the Tanzania–Angola connection. Related financing cited: US$1.4 billion agreement (China with Tanzania and Zambia for TAZARA modernisation, 2025), US$553 million DFC loan to Lobito Atlantic Railway (December 2025), and an additional US$200 million commitment from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).
Participants and responsibilities
Owner: Not publicly disclosed (reporting identifies national governments as initiating parties — Tanzania and Angola). Source basis: Construction Review report (secondary media). Source confidence: secondary media.
Government of Angola: Bilateral agreement and development of the Lobito Corridor. Source basis: Construction Review. Source confidence: secondary media.
Government of Tanzania: Bilateral agreement and hosting the announcement; pursuing integration with TAZARA. Source basis: Construction Review, statement announced by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Source confidence: secondary media reporting a first-party announcement.
Government of Zambia: Reported participant for railway connectivity and coordination with TAZARA modernisation. Source basis: Construction Review. Source confidence: secondary media.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Reported participant for regional railway connectivity and integration with the Lobito Corridor. Source basis: Construction Review. Source confidence: secondary media.
Tanzania–Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA): Operator of the railway connecting Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi; identified as the eastern network to be integrated. Source basis: Construction Review. Source confidence: secondary media.
Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR): Consortium responsible for rehabilitating and operating the Benguela Railway and associated Lobito logistics infrastructure; recipient of DFC financing. Source basis: Construction Review. Source confidence: secondary media.
Webuild Group: Italian construction company reported to have been awarded a tender to construct a section of the Zambia–Lobito Railway Corridor. Scope: construction of a section of the Zambia–Lobito corridor. Value: Not publicly disclosed in the report. Source basis: Construction Review. Source confidence: secondary media.
China: Reported financing partner in a US$1.4 billion 2025 agreement with Tanzania and Zambia for TAZARA modernisation. Source basis: Construction Review. Source confidence: secondary media.
US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC): Provided a US$553 million loan to Lobito Atlantic Railway in December 2025 to support rehabilitation, operation and Port of Lobito improvements. Source basis: Construction Review. Source confidence: secondary media.
Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA): Reported additional US$200 million commitment to the Lobito railway rehabilitation program. Source basis: Construction Review. Source confidence: secondary media.
Contractor overview
Webuild Group — Role: awarded a tender to construct a section of the Zambia–Lobito Railway Corridor; Scope: construction of an unnamed section; Value: Not publicly disclosed; Source confidence: secondary media (Construction Review).
Lobito Atlantic Railway (consortium) — Role: rehabilitate and operate Benguela Railway and associated Lobito logistics infrastructure; Related financing: US$553 million DFC loan and US$200 million DBSA commitment reported; Source confidence: secondary media.
China (state/finance) — Role: financier for TAZARA modernisation agreement; Value: US$1.4 billion agreement with Tanzania and Zambia (2025); Source confidence: secondary media.
Commercial context
The announced Tanzania–Angola initiative is currently a planning-stage bilateral agreement intended to integrate two existing regional corridors (Lobito Corridor and Central/TAZARA Corridor). Reporting identifies significant, separate financing and procurement activity already underway on the component networks: a US$1.4 billion China-backed TAZARA modernisation agreement (2025), US$553 million DFC loan plus US$200 million DBSA commitment for Lobito corridor rehabilitation, and a Webuild tender award for a Zambia–Lobito corridor section. The October 2026 announcement does not include project-level procurement, defined financing for the connecting sections, construction milestones or operational governance arrangements. The next evidenced programmatic steps will require multilateral agreement on alignment, technical interoperability, financing responsibilities, cross-border operations and railway management among Tanzania, Angola, Zambia and the DRC.
Sources
https://constructionreviewonline.com/tanzania-and-angola-plan-major-railway-line-to-connect-atlantic-and-indian-ocean-trade-corridors/ — Construction Review
Disclosure
This RailZoom Intelligence Brief is an original synthesis based on the cited public source. Details not confirmed by a first-party announcement are identified as reported information. For overseas project development or industry intelligence cooperation, contact RailZoom.
