Editing Chipata (section)

== Transport ==
[[File:A Bus and Taxi Stop Shelter.jpg|thumb|Bus and taxi stop shelter on Great East Road]]

=== Rail ===
An extension of the [[Sena railway]], connecting the city of Chipata to the territory of Malawi (via Mchinji) was opened in August 2011.<ref name="7R">{{cite web|date=21 September 2011 | url=http://www.afrol.com/articles/36610 |title=Zambia, Malawi finally connected by rail |access-date=23 November 2018 | publisher=Afrol.com |location=Kroderen, Norway}}</ref> Since then, Chipata acts as the Zambian railhead and entry point from Malawi and beyond. In the pipeline since 1982, the short link, about {{convert|35|km|0}}, provides a through-route for rail traffic from Zambia via Malawi to the Indian Ocean deep-water port at [[Nacala]] in [[Mozambique]].<ref name="8R">{{cite web|date=26 August 2007 | url=http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?articleId=317537 |title=New rail link to boost Southern African trade |access-date=23 November 2018 | publisher=[[Mail and Guardian|Mail&Guardian Online]] | format=Archived from the original |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181819/http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?articleId=317537|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> The route and alignment of the line has been laid out, including the site of Chipata station and the basic station building.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-04-25 |title=Zambia : Government completes assessment for the construction of the Serenje-Petauke-Chipata green field railway line |url=https://www.lusakatimes.com/2017/04/25/government-completes-assessment-construction-serenje-petauke-chipata-green-field-railway-line/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The route provides an alternative to two existing rail routes to the Indian Ocean, at [[Dar es Salaam]] and [[Beira, Mozambique|Beira]]. In 2015 it was proposed to build a rail link from Chipata through [[Petauke]] to [[Serenje]], a town on the [[TAZARA Railway]] line.<ref name="10R">{{cite web|url=http://breezefmchipata.com/?p=9367 | title=Chipata-Tazara railway project hits a snag |date=3 August 2017 |publisher=Breeze FM Chipata | access-date=23 November 2018 |location=Chipata, Zambia}}</ref>

=== Road ===
The T4 road ([[Great East Road]]) connects Chipata with [[Lusaka]] to the west (570 kilometres away) and the [[Mwami, Zambia|Mwami]] border with [[Malawi]] to the east (20 kilometres away).<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Roads and Road Traffic Act  |url=https://www.parliament.gov.zm/node/1492 |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=www.parliament.gov.zm}}</ref>

The [[M12 road (Zambia)|M12 road]] connects Chipata with [[Lundazi]] to the north (180 kilometres away).<ref name=":3" /> The D104 road connects Chipata with its [[Chipata Airport|airport]] (12 kilometers away) as well as to [[Mfuwe]] and the [[South Luangwa National Park]] to the north-west (100 kilometres away).<ref name=":3" /> The D128 road connects Chipata with [[Chadiza]] to the south-west (65 kilometres away).<ref name=":3" /> The D804 road connects Chipata with [[Vubwi District|Vubwi]] to the south-east (60 kilometres away).<ref name=":3" />