Maputo — The Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Mozambique's publicly-owned ports and rail company (CFM), Miguel Matabele, has announced the introduction of an express train to South Africa and Eswatini, to facilitate the mobility of people and goods.

Matabele made this announcement on Saturday, when the Mozambican Prime Minister, Adriano Maleiane, was visiting the CFM stand at the Maputo International Trade Fair (FACIM).

Maleiane welcomed the initiative, since the project will contribute to solving the transport problems in the country. He praised CFM for its "very strong contribution".

This step comes after CFM signed on 1 July an agreement with South Africa's Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) for the elimination of the rail border and with Eswatini Railways on 5 August an agreement for direct rail links for the transport of goods.

In light of the agreement, the trains operated by CFM and the South African company TFR will now cross the border at Ressano Garcia without restrictions or the need to change rolling stock. Thus, the Maputo Corridor will have, in an initial phase, 21 trains per week carrying chrome and ferrochrome to the port of Maputo, compared with the current 15 trains per week.

With Eswatini, the Goba railway border is removed, thus allowing the free circulation of goods trains between the two countries.

As an immediate impact of the agreement, the Goba railway will double the number of daily coal trains, from two to four. The volume of coal transported will also increase proportionately, from 3,600 tonnes to 7,200 tonnes per day.