Passenger and freight train services on the Ressano Garcia and Goba railway lines will be suspended from tomorrow until June 13 to allow for essential maintenance work, Mozambique Railways (CFM) announced yesterday. The suspension will also affect urban passenger transport between Central Station and the towns of Boane and Matola Gare. CFM executive director Emídio Bata explained that this suspension is part of the annual maintenance program for the southern
Category: Railway News
Angolan President highlights importance of the Lobito Corridor to regional development
The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, reiterated previously, in Dallas, Texas, the importance of the Lobito Corridor for the development of the southern region of the continent. The Head of State was speaking at the high-level dialogue of the 16th US-Africa Business Summit, addressing the theme of Investment in strategic infrastructures, sustainable growth. João Lourenço highlighted that this road infrastructure, which received American financing, will bring development not only
Transnet Freight Rail Boosts Coal Train Frequency to Port of Richards Bay
Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has announced an increase in the number of GF-class coal trains moving cargo to the Port of Richards Bay, ramping up from 21 to 28 trains per week. The rail division’s initiative is part of Transnet’s Recovery Plan and aims to address truck congestion solutions identified during a stakeholder collaboration in November 2023. TFR’s objective is to reduce truck loads and shift volume from road to
Angola’s Transport Minister Sets Ambitious Plan to Link National Rail Corridors
Ricardo D’Abreu, Angola’s Minister of Transport, has reiterated the government’s commitment to connecting the country’s three main national rail corridors, signaling a significant step towards enhancing transportation infrastructure. These corridors encompass the Northern Corridor, spanning the provinces of Luanda, Cuanza-Norte, and Malange; the Central Corridor, famously known as the Lobito Corridor, traversing Benguela, Huambo, Bié, and Moxico provinces; and the Southern Corridor, stretching from Moçâmedes in Namibe to Menongue in
PGI Celebrates Finance Agreement Signings for Angolan Projects
Recently, on the margins of the Corporate Council on Africa’s U.S.-Africa Business Summit, the United States and the Republic of Angola celebrated the signing of final agreements to finance three major infrastructure projects in the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI)’s flagship Lobito Corridor. The agreements, for projects totaling more than $1.3 billion for clean power, radio connectivity, and transportation infrastructure, demonstrate the U.S. government’s continued commitment to support and accelerate
Moçâmedes Railway Incurs Significant Losses Due to Flood Damage
The Moçâmedes Railway (CFM) experienced losses of up to 160 million Kwanzas (approximately 190,704 USD) during the 31-day suspension of train services on the Huíla/Cuando Cubango section. This disruption was caused by heavy rains that washed away two hydraulic crossings. The floods on February 3rd and 4th severely impacted the railway infrastructure, destroying the hydraulic passage between the towns of Chanja and Olivença. Repair works, which took a month to
Angola and US Sign Financing Agreements for Lobito Corridor Development
Angola and the United States of America inked financing agreements worth $1.3 billion in Dallas on Tuesday for the development of the Lobito Corridor, a key beneficiary of the Global Investment and Infrastructure Partnership (PGI). The signed documents, exchanged between Angolan Finance Minister Vera Daves and Reta-Jo Lewis, President of the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank), will fund three infrastructure projects associated with the Lobito Corridor. Additionally, they target investments
Duelling Rail Projects Hint at Intensifying Contest for Africa’s Critical Minerals
This S&P Global Insights article highlights the intensifying global competition for control over the mineral-rich African Copperbelt, spanning Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On one side, the Lobito Corridor has received commitments of over $1 billion from private companies, supported in part by a consortium backed by the US and EU. This ambitious project aims to link the northern regions of Zambia and southern DRC directly to
THE LOBITO CORRIDOR, A ROUTE TO AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT?
In this article, Veronica Bolton Smith makes the case that the participating countries in the Lobito Corridor need to do more to become part of the $60 billion Electric Vehicle (EV) battery supply chain. The stakes are high for Africa as the EV battery market is anticipated to more than double in size to $141.6 billion by 2032, according to Apollo Research. A primary goal of the Lobito Corridor initiative
Rail-port movement in Mozambique grew 8% last year
The Mozambican rail-port system transported around 26.6 million net tons in 2023 throughout the country, an increase of around 8% compared to the previous period. On the lines operated by the public company Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM), cargo transportation also grew, reaching around 12.4 million net tons. Although the increase is more modest, only 1% compared to 2023, it reflects the continued activity and importance of