Zambia,the TAZARA and the alternative outlets to the sea

Zambia has attempted to reduce her excessive transport dependency on her traditional transport routes via South Africa and the former Portugese colonies. The costly construction of the Tanzania‐Zambia Railway (TAZARA) was part of this diversification strategy. This article examines the nature, extent and direction of Zambian traffic, including its historical evolution. It explores further the place of TAZARA among the various routes to Mozambican, Angolan and South African ports, and the ensuing actual and potential competition. Future traffic patterns will be influenced not only by the direct and service‐oriented costs of the different lines, but also by the region's volatile and uncertain political climate.