Limpopo railway


Limpopo Railway, also called Gweru-Maputo railway, 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.
On the Mozambican stretch, between Maputo and Chicualacuala, the managing company is Mozambique Ports and Railways ; on the Zimbabwean stretch, between the cities of Nyangambe and Somabhula, the administration is done by the company National Railways of Zimbabwe.
Its main maritime logistics facility is the port of Maputo.

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, using the stretch of the Ressano Garcia railway between Moamba and Maputo to access the port of Maputo.
The Mozambican Civil War interrupted railroad traffic, causing, due to attacks and sabotages, the almost total degradation of the Mozambican section of the line.
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.
After the reopening, it changed its route definitively, starting from Maputo and not from Moamba, going directly to Manhiça and Chókwè; however, they have been operating well below cargo capacity, due to weak demand from Zimbabwe and other neighboring countries.

Railway branches

The Limpopo railway has two important branches:
In Rutenga, the Limpopo line connects with the Rutenga-Beitbridge railway.. 1 Battalion Guard Force. 2013.
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.