Benguela Railway (or CFB)

It is also the name of the company that operates it, the former Companhia do Caminho de Ferro de Benguela SARL.
It connects the port of Lobito, on the Atlantic coast, to the border town of Luau, in the eastern part of the country.

Operation:
The Benguela railway is 1344 km long and provides access to the most interior part of the country.
Beyond Luau, it is connected to the railway systems of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
Through from the connection to Zambia, it is possible to reach the city of Beira, in Mozambique, and Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania, next to the Indian Ocean.
It is also indirectly connected to the South African railway system. In this way, the CFB is part of a transcontinental railway network.

History:
In 1899, the Portuguese government began construction of the railway to provide access to the interior and mineral wealth of the Belgian Congo.
After the death of Cecil Rhodes, in 1902, Robert Williams, a friend of Rhodes, took charge of the construction and completed the connection to Luau in 1929.
The line proved to be a success, proving to be very profitable for the colonial powers, especially as it constituted the shortest route to transport mining riches from southern Congo to Europe.
In 1931, the port of Lobitor received the first shipment of copper from Catanga by rail.
After Independence, the Angolan Civil War forced the suspension of the CFB's operations, given that much of its infrastructure ended up being destroyed or damaged, and that traffic was unsafe.
In 1987, during a phase of the guerrilla's slowdown, A reconstruction plan was agreed between the authorities of Angola and Zaire, which ended up not being carried out due to a resurgence of the guerrilla.
With the advent of peace, in 1991, Angola requested a study for reconstruction with the help of the World Bank, with a view to resuming rail traffic and boosting the capacity of the port of Lobito.
During the brief period of peace, the railway transported only 157,000 tons of materials in one year, but managed to get back into operation, albeit only over medium distances.

Traffic was then provided by 8 General Electric locomotives, model U20C, 2 Paxman 8RPHXL, 6 twin-engine Cummins NT855L4 engines, with a total of 22 diesel locomotives and a further 19 locomotives dedicated to less important services.
In 1995, it had 53 locomotives (of which 24 were acquired second-hand from South Africa), 4 dining cars, 4 sleeping cars and 1761 carriages.
In November 2001, the CFB's 99-year concession ended, with the railway becoming the property of the Angolan state, as well as all associated mobile infrastructure.
In 2005, talks were started between the governments of Angola and Zambia to resume operations.
China provided around US0 million in financial aid to help rebuild the war-damaged line.
It is currently in operation between Lobito and Huambo.
In 2009, the removal of explosive devices along this line was completed, in a joint effort between the Angolan Armed Forces, the National Demining Institute, the National Reconstruction Office and the Border Guard Police.

Main stations:
Lobito, Huambo, Bié, Munhango, Luena, Luau

Statistical data:
CFB's initial capital was 13,500,000 réis.
The CFB owned the largest private eucalyptus plantation in the world, with an area of 37,000 hectares. To generate steam for its locomotives, it used around 570,000 tons of wood per year.
At the end of the 1960s, the CFB employed around 14,000 workers, who, together with their respective families, represented around 44,000 people related to the company.
The line had a length of 1345.928 km.