Benguela Railway was first built by Portuguese colonists in 1902, and opened to the Congo border in 1929. The construction process lasted for nearly 30 years. Affected by special terrain such as swamps and virgin forests along the line, the train runs at a speed of only about 30 kilometers per hour after opening.

Be blown up

1975 after Angola's independence, almost all the railway lines in Angola were blown up during the 27-year civil war.

rebuild

In 2004, the second year after the end of the civil war, Angola started the post-war reconstruction work in an all-round way, and the Benguela railway overhaul project, as the main artery of the country's railway traffic, was put on the agenda again. The 20th Bureau of China Railway Construction Group has built Luanda Railway and Benguela Railway with a total length of 1.800 km. In 2009, the Luanda Railway, which was built by China Railway Construction No.20 Bureau Group and connected the capital Luanda and the important city Malange, was officially completed and opened to traffic with an investment of 4170,000 US dollars. The construction of Benguela Railway also achieved the opening targets of Huambo and luena as scheduled. Angolan President dos Santos cut the ribbon for two railways in stages four times, and repeatedly recommended CR20 to participate in more railway construction tasks in Africa in public.

Complete the whole series

At 20 14 Beijing time, the reconstruction project of Benguela Railway in Angola was completed. This is the longest railway built overseas by China Railway Construction Co., Ltd. using China standards after the Tanzania-Zambia Railway aided by China in the 1970s.

Officially opened to traffic

China Railway Construction Co., Ltd. announced on the evening of February 14, 2065438 that the Benguela Railway built by the company in Angola was officially completed and opened to traffic on June 14 local time. This is the longest railway that China has built overseas after the Tanzania-Zambia Railway.

It is reported that Benguela Railway, which runs through Angola, was built by China Railway Construction 20th Bureau Group with the credit support of The Export-Import Bank of China. The total length of this railway is1344km, which starts from lobito in the west and ends at the border town of Luo, which borders Congo. In the future, it will connect with the railway networks of Anzan, Tanzania and neighboring countries, realize the railway interconnection in southern Africa, form an international railway corridor between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and integrate with the "Belt and Road" advocated by China.