Nacala rail link through to Chipata, Blantyre and Tete

There is sufficient capacity

on the new Nacala rail

line to handle 2.4 million tons

of general cargo a year, in

addition to the coal shipments

from the Tete district in

Mozambique, according to the

Northern Development Corridor

(CDN).

It is a private company which

has the concession to manage

both the port of Nacala and the

Northern Railway Line.

A US$4.4-billion investment

led by Brazilian mining company

Vale includes a 912-kilometre

rail link between Tete and

Nacala – 200 of which pass

through Malawi, and a coal

terminal in the port of Nacala.

The container operations in the

port are also being upgraded.

CDN is targeting passengers

and general freight from Malawi,

other parts of Mozambique and

Zambia.

One of the advantages to

shippers being promoted by the

corridor organisation CDN is

that a single train can carry 84

twenty-foot containers, which is

the equivalent of 42 to 84 trucks

on the road.

With many of the roads

to the port needing rebuilding

or upgrading the rail option is

also being marketed as a more

reliable option.