India helps Mozambique to boost rail transport

By Arnaldo Cuamba

Mozambican Transport and Communications Minister, Carlos Mesquita

Mozambique will acquire five new locomotives, 90 carriages, 300 wagons and five railcars valued at about US $ 95 million in an investment to be made in partnership with the Government of India.

The good news was announced on Tuesday by Mozambican Transport and Communications Minister, Carlos Mesquita, who said that the purchase will be made gradually by the end of May 2020, with the expectation that it will improve the transportation situation in the south and center of the country.

“The locomotives and wagons will bring additional capacity for the transportation of iron ores and others that move between the Ressano Garcia border and Maputo Port, with the aim of transferring more cargo from the highway to the railroad in order to avoid congestion and road accidents on the roads,” said Mesquita.

The purchase of the equipment will be carried out through an Indian government credit line.

The carriages, as indicated by Carlos Mesquita, will be distributed equally in the South and Center areas, and in the South the beneficiaries will be the corridors of Goba, Ressano Garcia and Chicualacuala, while in the Center will be Beira-Marromeu and Beira-Moatize.

“The northern region of the country has not been forgotten. It turns out that the northern logistics corridor has a private operation whose concession agreement also contemplates the transportation of passengers, so that whenever it is necessary the operator increases the capacity in the sections Nampula-Cuamba, Cuamba-Lichinga and Cuamba-Interlagos “, he explained.

The acquisition and management of the new equipment, carriages, wagons and railcars will be carried out by the state-owned company Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique.