Maputo, April 20, 2026 (Lusa) – The state-owned Mozambique Ports and Railways (CFM) recorded losses of US$12 million (€10 million) due to the suspension of train services on the Limpopo Line, with services due to resume on 1 May.
"Our initial plan was to reopen the line in mid-March (...) the line has been closed for about three months, representing around 130 trains that we could not run. We have lost approximately US$12 million in traffic on this line from Zimbabwe to Maputo, mainly involving ores such as chromium," said CFM Chairperson Agostinho Langa, quoted on Monday by Mozambican public television.
The Limpopo Line, in southern Mozambique, provides a vital link for people and goods to landlocked countries including Zimbabwe, which uses the route to transport fuel, grain, and containerised cargo.
This line was severely affected by the floods and extreme rainfall that ravaged mainly the southern region of Mozambique in January, with CFM now proceeding with the line’s rehabilitation works, expecting train services to resume on 1 May, with investment in these works amounting to up to US$25 million (€21.2 million), as Agostinho Langa explained.
"We discussed the progress of the work and decided that some culverts, for example, could be postponed to a second phase [of rehabilitation]. Therefore, we estimate that in this preliminary phase we will spend between US$20 and US$25 million. We managed to save about US$15 million [€12.7 million] from our initial assessment, and that amount will probably be spent when we start the second phase," he said.
Heavy rains previously halted train traffic on the Ressano Garcia and Goba railway lines, which connect Maputo to neighbouring South Africa and Eswatini, respectively.
The death toll for the current rainy season in Mozambique has risen to 311 since October, according to an update from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD). Data from the INGD indicates that the present rainy season, which continues until the end of April, has affected 1,071,791 people, corresponding to 247,470 families. Reports also list 17 people missing and 352 injured.
The January floods alone caused at least 43 deaths, 147 injuries, and nine disappearances, affecting a total of 715,803 people. Some southern areas recorded new waves of flooding throughout February and March.
PME/RYOL // AYLS
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