This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Namiba (talk | contribs) at 19:16, 5 June 2006. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 19:16, 5 June 2006 by Namiba (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Benguela railway is a railroad operated by the Caminho de Ferro de Benguela (CFB) that connects the Atlantic port of Lobito, Angola, to the railroad systems of Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia.
Through Zambia's connections to Beira, Mozambique and Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean, the Benguela railway is part of a transcontinental railroad. It also connects indirectly to the railroad system of South Africa.
In 1899, the Portuguese government initiated the construction of the railroad to access the hinterland and the mineral wealth of the Belgian Congo. Upon the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, Sir Robert Williams, a friend of Rhodes, took over the construction and completed the connection to Luau at the border to the Congo in 1929. The line proved very successful and profitablefor the colonial powers. After independence, the Angolan Civil War brought operations to a halt, and most of the infrastructure is damaged or destroyed. Recently (2005) talks have been intitiated between Angola and Zambia to restore operations.
See also
 | This Angola-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |