ANGOLA: Lobito Atlantic Railway is ‘a company with exceptional potential to transform transport and trade across Angola and the region’, Nicholas Fournier said after being appointed CEO as part of changes to the strengthen the governance structure with the formal separation of the roles of CEO and Chairman.
Alexandre Canas has been appointed Chairman of LAR, which has a 30-year concession to modernise, maintain and operate the 1 344 km Lobito Railway Corridor connecting the deep water port of Lobito to Luau on the border with the DR Congo, including a dedicated minerals terminal at the port.
LAR also has a track access agreement with DR Congo’s state-owned Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo covering upgrading and operation of the 450 km line between Luau and Kolwezi, including providing support for infrastructure rehabilitation.
The transit time on the 1 067 mm gauge corridor from Lobito to Kolwezi is seven days.
‘We are proud to operate a transport corridor that is open to all customers and already delivering significant benefits to mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo that produce critical metals’, Fournier said on August 19. ‘Together with my management team, we will focus on further optimising the railway’s efficiency and capacity, while expanding the Minerals Terminal operations at the Port of Lobito.’
