Caminhos-de-Ferro de Moçambique (CFM), in the southern region of the country, estimates losses of over US$40 million following heavy rains that affected the Limpopo, Ressano Garcia, and Goba railway lines. The most critical situation is on the Limpopo line, an international railway corridor connecting Mozambique to Zimbabwe.
Along this section, several kilometers of submerged track, extensive cuts, destroyed hydraulic passages, and suspended segments of the line have been identified, compromising train traffic between the two countries and affecting the operation of the Mozambique-Zimbabwe corridor.
The information was provided by CFM’s engineering director, Frederico Jorge, in an interview with the Mozambique Information Agency (AIM) during a technical assessment visit to the most critical points of the Limpopo line in Gaza province. According to the official, the final assessment of the damage is still ongoing.
“We are talking about an estimated cost of around US$40 million, but this figure is not yet definitive. We need the water level to drop so that we can make a more accurate assessment,” said Frederico Jorge, referring to the estimated costs for rehabilitating the affected section.
Preliminary analysis points to significant destruction in several districts crossed by the line, namely Magude, in Maputo province, as well as Chókwè, Mapai, and Chicualacuala, all located in Gaza province, with a direct impact on rail traffic. “At the moment, we have about 22 kilometers of track submerged in the southern area and, in total, almost four kilometers of suspended line. The damage is very extensive,” he explained.
During the on-site inspection, the CFM technical team, made up of members of the board of directors, managers, and engineers, traveled almost 173 kilometers from the city of Maputo to the Mutasse area, on the border between the districts of Magude and Chókwè, where one of the first visible breaks in the railway was identified.
“Here we have a break approximately 100 meters long, but further on there are several other similar points. At this point, we are not yet able to accurately quantify all the damage,” explained Frederico Jorge, emphasizing the complexity of the assessment process.
According to CFM, the damage resulted from a technical phenomenon known as “wash away,” caused by excessive water volume that exceeded the capacity of the hydraulic passages. This excess led to the destruction of embankments and substructures along the line. “The system was unable to cope, and what happened was that the entire structure that makes up the railway line was washed away,” explained the engineering director.
