CFM launches second phase of railway doubling budgeted at 160 million dollars

CFM launches second phase of railway doubling budgeted at 160 million dollars

Zelio Tembe 2026-06-16

Maputo, 16 Jun– The publicly-owned company Ports and Railways of Mozambique (CFM) has announced the second phase of the project aimed at doubling the Ressano Garcia railway line, in the southern region.

The project, which is budgeted at 160 million US dollars, will start next July. Ressano Garcia railway line serves as the primary rail link between Mozambique and South Africa, connecting the Maputo Corridor to regional and international markets.

In a statement, the company explains that following a first phase that nearly doubled annual capacity from 13 million to 24 million tons, “this new expansion aims to further boost logistical efficiency.”

“The tender to select the contractor for the infrastructure works is now in its final stages, with the winning bidder expected to be announced next month. Expanding the network is crucial, but future infrastructure growth must be paired with climate resilience measures”, reads the document.

This investment follows severe flooding on the Limpopo line last February, which caused a three-month shutdown and 12 million dollars in losses.

In total, as a result of the damage caused by heavy rains that affected the southern rail network, the company recorded losses exceeding 40 million dollars. The floods also affected the rail network of the Limpopo, Ressano Garcia, and Goba railway lines, going from Maputo to Zimbabwe, South Africa and Eswatini, respectively.

However, the company has been recovering. During the first quarter of this year, passenger transport surged by 95 percent to 151,400 commuters, while freight traffic grew by 14.9 percent to 3.6 million tons, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the annual target.

The recovery highlights the strategic importance of the transport sector as a backbone for the national economy, especially as cross-border trade demands continue to grow. Regional logistics operators have heavily relied on this corridor to bypass delays at other regional ports, making the modernization of the network critical for southern African trade.

This project aligns with a broader government master plan to invest nearly 190 million Euros in railway modernization through 2030, aimed at establishing a highly reliable and modern logistics network for the region.

(AIM)

ZT/Am/

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