Benguela railway
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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 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 profitable for 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.
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