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The Moatize-Macuse railway line linking the provinces of Tete and Zambézia will be extended by about 120 kilometres to connect through to the Chitima region, where most of the mining companies are located.
The lines initial design covered the 500 kilometres between Moatize and Macuse, leading to demand from the coal mining companies, supported by banks with investment interests, to see the line extended to Chitima, also in Tete province.
Abdul Carimo, a member of the Board of Directors of Thai Mozambique Logistic, concessionaire of the future deep water port in Macuse, told reporters in Quelimane that the extension of the line to Chitima would respond to mining companies’ interest in using the Port of Macuse to export production to the international market.
Also Read: More on signing of contract Moatize-Macuse railway – AIM
According to Carimo, another reason for altering the initial design had to do with errors in the concession process.
Carimo explained that in December 2013, the government approved the concession for the implementation of the project, but problems in the indication of the area made it necessary to reformulate the initiative. This took time, delaying the start of the venture.
Carimo says these delays had not been fully taken care of, so it was moving ahead with the changes already anticipated to give greater credibility to the enterprise.
The project review had created conditions for the laying of the first stone sometime next year, giving impetus to the construction of the Chitima-Macuse railway line and the Macuse deep-water port, together worth more than two billion US dollars.
Also Read: Mozambique’s Macuse port and railway to cost US$3 billion
The Port of Macuse will have the capacity to receive ships of great draught and will not only handle coal but other merchandise too. Hinterland countries such as Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the DRC will potentially gain access to Macuse through the Zambezia Development Corridor, and new businesses arise through small and medium-sized enterprises providing services and warehousing along the route.
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