Moz pours millions into repair of vital rail line

Anna Cox
THE WATER-damaged railway line between Maputo and Macerratane in southern Mozambique
is to be repaired at a cost of
$33 million.
The repair work will see the rehabilitation of a total of 225km of rail. Work is expected to be completed by August next year.
It includes the rebuilding of two rail and one highway-approach bridges to the Limpopo River barrage, the rebuilding of all trackage in the Maputo passenger terminal, the rebuilding of 5.1km of double line to Infulene and the rebuilding of station trackage at Aldeira de Barrage.
The rail is vital for the region because Zimbabwe sends all its manganese and sugar to the port of Maputo along this track. Moreover the line is of importance for capacity increases at the port which almost 30 years ago rivalled and even exceeded the capacity of the Port of Durban.
Two years ago, the line was damaged by the worst flooding of the Limpopo River that the region has seen in recent years.
Most of the work will take place in the first 5,1 km of the line near Maputo and in the last three kilometres at the Limpopo River where the approach-road bridge and two rail bridges were swept away by the flood waters.