The Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) project, which will connect Kolwezi to the port of Lobito (Angola), is expected to transport 240,000 tons of Congolese copper during its first year of operation. Its CEO, Nicolas Fournier, is optimistic about the next two years.
“Our goal is to streamline the transport of the DRC’s strategic minerals to the Atlantic by reducing time and costs,” explained Nicolas Fournier to Railway Africa Magazine, published in South Africa.
The corridor, stretching over 1,300 km, will provide faster access for Congolese copper and cobalt to international markets. In the long term, projections point to several million tons of minerals being exported annually—1.5 million tons by 2027, according to the company.
A vast project still underway
LAR has finalized agreements with shareholders and is assisting SNCC with railway repair works on the DRC side. A company delegation recently made the Kolwezi–Dilolo trip “in less than 38 hours,” with the potential to reduce travel time further.
Some sections of the Lobito Corridor, especially just after Kolwezi heading towards Kiala, still require rehabilitation, Fournier noted.
Another stretch closer to the Angolan border “must also be reinforced.” Currently, freight trains can reach speeds of 30–35 km/h between Kolwezi and Dilolo, but “on certain sections we must slow down to 10–15 km/h,” he added.
Despite these challenges, “we were able to make the journey with a load equivalent to that of a commercial freight train in four nights and five days,” he said. The railway covers about 1,289 km in Angola and an additional 450 km between the Angolan border and Kolwezi.
“With the rail line to Lobito, we reduce transport time compared to Durban (South Africa), Beira (Mozambique), or Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) to just five days,” he reassured.
“Exponential growth”
LAR handles and ships raw materials and bulk cargo by rail. For 2025, the goal is to transport 120,000 tons of bulk in containers, moved annually by the company. “120,000 tons of bulk will leave Lobito for Kolwezi, and we will reach the same annual volume of 120,000 tons of minerals in the opposite direction, from Kolwezi to Lobito,” said Fournier, who took office on May 1, 2026.
According to him, Lobito Atlantic Railway is confident—at least for the next two years. The company aims to double its volume in 2026, reaching 240,000 tons in each direction. In 2027, “we project around 750,000 tons, doubling again each year.”
While he admits that “this exponential growth will not continue indefinitely,” he believes in the forecast “for the next two years, reaching 1.5 million tons in 2027 (750,000 in each direction).”
Financially, investors have already injected around US$500 million, allocated “to staff training and recruitment, as well as the rehabilitation of the mining terminal, railway tracks, stations, and rolling stock,” he said, adding that the company “has also invested in new equipment, including 1,500 wagons purchased in China.”
Elisha IRAGI
