Breakbulk exporters and importers based in Mpumalanga and Limpopo should have better rail access to the Maputo and Matola bulk terminals in Mozambique.This follows the signing of an agreement by Ports and Railways of Mozambique (CFM) and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) which will allow CFM trains to travel to the Belfast area of South Africa, while TFR trains will travel to the port of Maputo.It will speed up the rail traffic between the two countries as there will no longer be delays while locomotives are changed at the border.Operated directly by Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC), the Maputo general cargo terminal handles a variety of commodities – from bagged rice and bagged cement to project cargo, according to the compa ny.The Port of Maputo has two mobile cranes for general cargo with a capacity of 40-60 tons, as well as two mobile harbour Liebherr cranes with a lift capacity of 144 tons each.Previously, Mozambican and South African locomotives were not permitted to operate in each other’s countries. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mozambican minister of transport and communications, Mateus Magala, said the agreement went far beyond a simple contract and represented a paradigm shift in which cooperation would improve the corridor’s competitiveness.“Our railway operator (CFM) will start to take long-distance trains into South African territory. We are witnessing another step on the way to true regional integration,” the minister said.The agreement will also help reduce operating costs and improve cargo f lows at the Port of Maputo, where the government expected goods handling to increase from the 48 million tons registered in 2021 to 83 million tons by 2024.CFM’s Miguel Matabel stressed that the increase in the number of trains could potentially reduce the amount of cargo currently transported by road via the N4.TFR CEO Sizakele Mzimela said the agreement would open up opportunities for customers to ferry cargo through the Port of Maputo.
