Zimbabwe and Mozambique have reached an agreement to refurbish and extend a 10km railway line from Machipanda to Mutare within the next three months.
The Transport Ministers of both countries confirmed this development during a tour of the Forbes and Machipanda border posts.
The visit of Mozambique’s Transport and Communications Minister, Mateus Magala, follows the commissioning of the rehabilitated Beira-Machipanda railway line, witnessed by Zimbabwean President Mnangagwa and Mozambican President Nyusi in November.
President Mnangagwa highlighted that the rehabilitated railway line would reduce transport costs and alleviate congestion at the Forbes Border Post in Mutare.
During the tour, Minister Magala stated that the two countries aimed to have the railway line from Machipanda to Mutare operational at its highest standards within the next three months. He also expressed the goal of having a train running from Beira to Harare and beyond in the shortest possible time, estimating that it could be achieved within two to three years. Minister Magala said:
We basically want to open borderless countries because Zimbabwe and Mozambique have a unique history. I am very happy that we managed to agree on what we need to do and stressed the urgency of those actions.
One of them is that in the next three months, we want to see the railway line from Machipanda to Mutare operational at highest standards.
So we commit to do that. The second thing is that we want to see the train from Beira to Harare and beyond also happening in the shortest time.
So if we work the way we are working now, that can happen in the next two years, three years maximum, if not in two years but I will say in two years, we will have everything done.
Zimbabwe’s Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona expressed satisfaction with the progress made during the meetings. He highlighted the importance of shifting cargo transportation from roads to railways, noting the need to rehabilitate the missing 10km section between Beira and Mutare. He said:
I am happy that we shared on a number of issues that were before us and as you know, the railway line which is very topical, our roads are being damaged each and everyday and we need to move cargo from the roads to the rail. And I am happy that the dear brother here has done tremendously well in rehabilitating the rail from Beira and now the missing link is the 10km into Mutare.
The ministers also discussed the congestion issues at the border posts and agreed to implement 24/7 operations at the Forbes-Machipanda border post.
They further discussed plans to create another parallel bridge at the border to enhance traffic flow and ease the bottleneck.
These initiatives align with the goal of promoting ease of doing business and advancing the concept of a One-Stop border post.
The tour was attended by senior officials from both Zimbabwe and Mozambique, demonstrating the commitment of both countries to improving transportation infrastructure and fostering bilateral cooperation.
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