Mozambique Railways needs US$400 million to rehabilitate Machipanda line

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Mozambique Railways needs US$400 million to rehabilitate Machipanda line

5:53 CAT | 22 Jun 2016

Mozambique Railways (CFM) needs US$400 million for the rehabilitation of the 317-kilometre Machipanda railway line linking the city of Beira in Sofala province with Machipanda administrative post on the Zimbabwe border in Manica province.

The Minister of Transport and Communications, Carlos Mesquita, said that the feasibility study for the rehabilitation of the line, which is in a very delicate technical condition, has just been completed.

“We finished the feasibility study and we are now trying determine how the implementation process will be carried out, namely the rehabilitation of the line itself and the acquisition of rolling stock,” Mesquita said, adding that the line needs urgent intervention to satisfy demand.

Mesquita revealed that he had been in contact with various partners, particularly the Chinese, who may be interested in the rehabilitation project.

“Let us see if we can get on the build-operate-transfer model indicated in Mozambican law about public-private partnerships, to avoid the state being the sole investor in this infrastructure,” he said.

In a survey of the national railway system, Mesquita indicated that the rehabilitation of the Sena line, which links the port of Beira in Sofala to coal mines at Moatize, in Tete, was at an advanced stage, and will almost double the line’s capacity to 12 million tonnes per year.

“Coal companies used the Sena line to transport about five million tons of coal last year. In addition to coal, we also need to think about transporting commodities such as fertilisers, wheat, rice, granite and fuel, among others, as soon as there is room for them,” the minister argues.

Mesquita said that it had been necessary to invest in new locomotives, wagons and platforms, because coal transportation wagons have a different format to those used for other loads.

The Limpopo, Goba and Ressano-Garcia railways, the minister said, are all operational, although traffic on the Limpopo line was depressed due to the economic circumstances in Zimbabwe.

Improvements to the Goba line started in 2015 and financed by CFM to the tune of US$18 million, such as the construction of a new bridge in Boane able to carry heavier loads, will be completed this year, Mesquita said.

Source: Notícias