Maputo, Nov. 11, 2025 (Lusa) - Rail traffic on the Sena line, in the Mozambican province of Sofala, was fully restored on Tuesday, almost ten days after the derailment caused by vandalism to the infrastructure, which was investigated by the police, who suspect former workers.
Adélio Dias, spokesman for the state-owned company Porto e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM), confirmed to Lusa that passenger transport on the line had resumed this morning, following agreements with the authorities on safety issues, the reason behind the suspension of the service shortly after the derailment on 2 November, the second such case in a few weeks.
Passenger transport, in addition to the earlier resumption of freight transport, is also gradually resuming.
The provincial commander of the Republic of Mozambique Police in Sofala, Beatriz Tichala, said on 5 November that investigations were underway to identify the perpetrators of the vandalism.
"The suspicions fall on workers who, at some point, are dissatisfied with their employers. [The workers] who took part in the construction of the railway line," explained the provincial commander.
The CFM company explained at the time that, in this latest incident, individuals cut the line and removed the fastenings used to attach it to the sleepers, causing two locomotives and several wagons to derail.
"CFM condemns and deeply regrets the attitude of this group of fellow citizens, who aimed to hit the passenger train," the state railway company said in a statement.
The Mozambican rail network is divided into three zones — south, central, and north — which are not directly connected but which, in turn, link to several neighbouring countries, such as South Africa, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe.
CFM's southern rail network has also suffered losses of $2 million (€1.6 million) this year due to infrastructure theft and vandalism, the company announced in September.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Forum on Preventing and Combating Vandalisation of Public Infrastructure, Arnaldo Manjate, CFM-Sul's director of railway operations, said that this year alone, equipment had been stolen and track equipment vandalised, including switches, costing the company around five million meticais (€66,000), also due to stones being thrown at locomotives.
In 2024, CFM trains carried 6,815,251 passengers on the central and southern system, almost half a million more than the company had forecast, according to official figures, and 3% more than in 2023, according to company figures.
Mozambique's government announced at the end of April that it intends to invest almost €190 million by 2030 in doubling railway lines and purchasing carriages, locomotives, and wagons to strengthen passenger and freight transport capacity.
The government said it wants to invest the money in completing the doubling of the remaining 25 kilometres of the Ressano Garcia railway line in Maputo, which connects Mozambique and South Africa, and also in acquiring more than 30 carriages, to increase passenger transport capacity.
PVJ/ADB // ADB.
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