Beira upgrades rail systems to cater for growing volumes

Major improvements are being made to the Beira rail system in central Mozambique in order to cater for growing traffic volumes. Beira is served by the Sena and Machipanda lines. Opened in 2014 by the British Trans-Zambeze Railways company, the 575-km Sena Line runs from Dondo rail station in Sofala to the coal town of Moatize in Tete. It is at present the only rail link serving the new Tete coalfields. The Sena Line was open to coal traffic on August 8, 2011 after the signing of a temporary tariff agreement with Tete coal mines. Beira has become the main export port for the coal. Its dedicated terminal can handle six million tons of coal a year – the theoretical capacity of the rail link. In 2013 over three million tons of coal was carried on the line. An average of 10 cargo trains operate daily between Moatize and Beira, and one general cargo CFM train a week. Steps are being taken to upgrade the line after previous concessionaires failed to make the necessary investments. Portuguese company Mota-Engil has started work on the renovation and upgrading of the Sena line in partnership with Edivisa. The upgrades include major work on the superstructure of the railway over the entire stretch between Beira and Moatize in order to increase the capacity to 20 million tons a year by February 2015. The project is valued at approximately 162.7 million euros, according to Mota-Engil. A feasibility study has been commissioned to establish the viability of the restoration of a branch from Sena to Vila Nova de Fronteira, and from there to Malawi. Beira is at present the main ocean gateway for goods moving in and out of Malawi. A feasibility study and master plan for restoration of the Machipanda line is also being prepared. The 317-km Machipanda Line, opened in 1897 by Caminhos de Ferro da Beira, links the port of Beira to the Mozambique/ Zimbabwe border town of Machipanda in Manica province. It is currently handling an average of one train a day, according to Elias Xai-Xai, director of the Sena Line Reconstruction Brigade (BRLS). The objective is to triple the Machipanda Line’s capacity to three million tons a year. There should, however, be an alternative by the first quarter of 2015. Brazilian mining giant Vale is investing over $4.5 billion in a 900-km railway from Moatize through Malawi to the Nacala port in northern Mozambique. Macauhub quotes Vale Mozambique managing director Ricardo Saad as saying that the rail link is due to be open by the end of 2014. In the meantime, Mozambican Corredor Logístico Integrado do Norte [CLIN] has announced the arrival of the first 10 locomotives from General Electric to move coal from Moatize to Nacala. This was the first delivery from an order of 80 locomotives by CLIN, which is the rail and port concession-holder for the Nacala Corridor. INSERT 10 The number of daily cargo trains between Moatize and Beira CAPTION The Port of Beira ... the main ocean gateway for goods moving in and out of Malawi.