Limpopo railway

Limpopo Railway, also called Gweru-Maputo railway,[1] is a railway that connects the city of Maputo, Mozambique, to the city from Somabhula, in Zimbabwe. It is 900 km long, in a 1067 mm gauge.[2][3]

Limpopo railway
Overview
TypeCape gauge
StatusOperational
TerminiPort of Maputo, Maputo, Mozambique
Somabhula, Zimbabwe
Operation
Opened1955
Operator(s)CFM and NRZ
Technical
Line length900 km (560 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

On the Mozambican stretch, between Maputo and Chicualacuala, the managing company is Mozambique Ports and Railways (CFM);[1] on the Zimbabwean stretch, between the cities of Nyangambe (Sango-Nyala) and Somabhula, the administration is done by the company National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ).[4]

Its main maritime logistics facility is the port of Maputo.[1]

History

The railway line was inaugurated in a ceremony held on August 1, 1955, where Mozambican-Portuguese and Nyasaland-British colonial authorities were present. The Mozambican stretch initially connected Moamba and Chicualacuala (formerly Malvernia), using the stretch of the Ressano Garcia railway between Moamba and Maputo to access the port of Maputo.[5]

The Mozambican Civil War interrupted railroad traffic, causing, due to attacks and sabotages, the almost total degradation of the Mozambican section of the line.[6]

The Limpopo Railway was restored in the 1990s, but had to be practically rebuilt in 2004 after the damage caused by the floods in 2000 in the Limpopo and Incomati river valleys.[3]

After the reopening, it changed its route definitively, starting from Maputo and not from Moamba, going directly to Manhiça and Chókwè;[2] however, they have been operating well below cargo capacity, due to weak demand from Zimbabwe and other neighboring countries.[3]

Railway branches

The Limpopo railway has two important branches:

  • Nandi-Mkwasine branch: connects the village of Mbizi to the village of Mkwasine.[7]
  • Noelvale branch: in the city of Zvishavane.

Railway connections

In Rutenga, the Limpopo line connects with the Rutenga-Beitbridge railway.[8]

In Somabhula, the Limpopo line connects with the Beira-Bulawayo railway.

In Maputo, the Limpopo line connects with the Pretoria-Maputo railway and the Goba railway.

gollark: ↑ Lyricly, photographed
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gollark: LyricTech™_irl
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gollark: `from stackoverflow import lyrics_chess_world`

References
  1. "Linha do Limpopo" (HTML). CFM. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  2. Mozambique Logistics Infrastructure: Mozambique Railway Assessment. Atlassian Confluence. 10 de dezembro de 2018.
  3. Zimbabwe: Railway Lines Underused. All Africa. 28 de agosto de 2018.
  4. Network System: System Map. National Railways Of Zimbabwe. 2017.
  5. United States. Bureau of Foreign Commerce. World Trade Information Service: Utilities abroad. Volume 1, Parte 1. 1955.
  6. Jane Perlez, Special To the New York Times. Beira Journal; Road to Prosperity Has a Special Hazard: Rebels. The New York Times. 21 de fevereiro de 1989.
  7. NRZ rehabilitates Chiredzi railway line. The Herald. 08 dec, 2017.
  8. Additional information’s, comments and other contributions to the history of 1 BN (Photos, documentation, comments, personal stories and experiences by former soldiers of the unit). 1 Battalion Guard Force. 2013.
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