The state-owned company Ports and Railways of Mozambique (CFM) has suspended train services on the Ressano Garcia and Goba railway lines, which connect Maputo to South Africa and Eswatini respectively, due to flooding caused by heavy rains, according to information released by Lusa.
The Director of Railway Operations at CFM-South, Arnaldo Manjate, explained that several points with structural damage were identified along the Ressano Garcia line. “On the Ressano Garcia line, we recorded collapses of embankments in some locations, where restoration works are already under way,” he said.
According to the official, the situation worsened in the Moamba area, where water levels rose above the railway platform. “The waters came to cover the railway platform, and we are opening channels to allow drainage and reduce pressure on the infrastructure,” Arnaldo Manjate explained.
CFM indicated that the main damage includes the washing away of soil, ballast, rails, and sleepers along the affected lines. The suspension of circulation on the Ressano Garcia line is mainly due to water accumulation at several points, including the Matola-Gare area, in the municipality of Matola.
On the Goba line, which links Maputo to Eswatini, the situation is similar, with rail traffic also suspended. “There has been burial of the track, and water tends to flow over the rails due to the intensity of the rains and the poor surface water drainage capacity in this area,” the official explained.
These two connections add to the Limpopo line—the longest railway line in the southern region, linking Mozambique to Zimbabwe—where circulation has also been interrupted due to the heavy rains affecting the south of the country.
According to Arnaldo Manjate, the resumption of railway services depends on an improvement in weather conditions and the completion of infrastructure repair works. He added that CFM continues to assess the damage caused by the floods.
The impact of the rains extends across several regions of the country, with the Government estimating that 40% of Gaza province is submerged. Since the start of the rainy season, at least 103 people have died and 173,000 have been affected, leading authorities to declare a nationwide “red alert.”
Source: Diário Económico
