Representatives of Chinese state-owned CITIC Group Corp. and China Railway 20 Bureau Group Corp. (CR20) inspected the Benguela Railway in Angola this week, Angop says.

The Chinese companies are among five that have expressed interest in the concession to run heavy freight services and facilities on the railway for 30 years, including the ore terminal at the port of Lobito, according to a report carried by the Angolan state-run news agency on Wednesday.

The report quotes the operator of the port as saying the inspecting parties saw the terminal, and were due to take a train from Lobito to Luau on the Congolese border.

Bids for the concession were sought on September 7 and the deadline for bidding is December 7, Angop says.

In October 2019 the Chinese government-run news agency, Xinhua, reported that CR20 had turned over the Benguela Railway to the Angolan government after rehabilitating the railway at a cost of US$1.83 billion.