Name of the Project
Lobito Corridor railway project.

Location
The Lobito Atlantic Railway links Kolwezi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Copperbelt, to the Port of Lobito, in Angola. The corridor comprises the 1 289 km Angola section between Lobito and Luau, on the Angola-DRC border, and a 450 km DRC section between Luau and Kolwezi operated under a track access agreement with the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo (SNCC).

Project Owner/s
Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) is owned by Lobito Atlantic Holdings (LAH), a consortium comprising Trafigura, Mota-Engil and Vecturis. 

LAR operates under a 30-year concession awarded by the Angolan government in 2022.

Project Description
The project entails the rehabilitation, modernisation, maintenance and operation of the Lobito Port Mineral Terminal together with the 1 300 km Angola railway from the Port of Lobito to Luau. The DRC section links Luau with Kolwezi through a 450 km route operated under a track access agreement with SNCC.

LAR took over operations and maintenance in 2024.

The project is expected to provide a critical link for the transport of copper, cobalt and other essential goods from the mineral-rich areas of the DRC to international markets through the Lobito port.

Transportation capacity is expected to increase ten-fold, to about 4.6-million tonnes a year, and to reduce the cost of transporting critical minerals by an estimated 30%. It also has potential to boost the development of sectors along the line, including heavy industry, agriculture and mining, creating new jobs and new opportunities.

LAR states that the corridor currently operates 12 trains a week, increasing to 20 trains a week by 2027.

The investment will include 1 555 wagons and 35 locomotives for the Angolan side of the corridor, as well as training and skills development, with dedicated training centres in place at Huambo and Lobito.

The latest financing package will support further upgrades to track infrastructure, workshops, signalling systems and rolling stock aimed at improving capacity, efficiency and reliability.

Potential Job Creation
A formal project-wide job creation target has not been stated. However, the project is expected to support employment through railway rehabilitation, operations, maintenance, training and procurement. As of 2026, LAR says the Angola section and mineral terminal are supported by a workforce of 945, of whom 97% are Angolan nationals.

Capital Expenditure
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) together with its financing partner, the US International Development

Finance Corporation (DFC), announced financial close on $786-million in the Lobito Corridor railway project in July 2026, following the signing of the financing agreements late last year.

Planned Start/End Date
The 30-year concession contract was signed on November 4, 2022. Transfer of the concession started in July 2023, with LAR taking over operations and maintenance in January 2024. The route has been operational since 2024. Mota-Engil has listed the project as ongoing to 2052.

Latest Developments
The project has reached financial close.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
DFC and DBSA (lenders); AFC and Eaglestone (co-financial advisers/financing structuring and mobilisation); and Galison Manufacturing South Africa (new container wagons).

Contact Details for Project Information
Lobito Atlantic Railway headquarters: Terminal Mineiro do Porto do Lobito, tel +244 225 300 490 or email geral@lobitoatlantic.co.ao. 
Trafigura Press Office, tel +41 22 592 4528 or email media@trafigura.com.
Mota-Engil Angola, tel +244 923 120 420 or email geral@mota-engil.co.ao.