4 December 2007
Maputo — Traffic along the railway from the northern Mozambican port of Nacala to Malawi has been paralysed since Monday because torrential rains in Nampula province have damaged the track, reports Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".
According to Manuel Macopa, managing director of the railway for the privately-led consortium CDN (Northern Development Corridor), which holds the lease on the Nacala port and rail system, the interruption occurred at 23.40 on Monday night, when rains opened a crater on the track, four metres deep and 15 metres long, in Nampula-Rapale district.
CDN has been repairing the damage since then, but faced severe difficulties due to continuing heavy rains. The New Year holiday also hindered the work: companies were closed, making it difficult for CDN to buy the building materials and hire the equipment needed to fill in the crater.
A drainage culvert was also swept away by the rains, and Macopa said this would take some time to repair. Nonetheless, he was sure that the track would be in a fit condition to carry trains again by Friday.
When traffic was interrupted, there were two trains on the line, one on either side of the break, carrying goods to and from Malawi. Macopa said losses caused by the interruption are heavy since the line normally carries six trains a day (three in each direction)
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