THE WORLD Bank confirmed on August 7 that it had agreed in principle to assist with the restoration of the 553 kmSena line in Mozambique. Linking Beira with the Moatize coalfields and the Malawi border, the line has been out of use for 20 years because of the civil war, but at its peak in 1973 it carried about 18 million tonnes of freight.
According to Transport Minister Tomaz Salomao, obstacles that had previously hindered rebuilding of the railway have been removed. Work is already underway on the first 100 km from the junction with the Zimbabwe line at Dondo, 28 km north of Beira, to the limestone quarries at Muanza, using government funding amounting to US$11m. Completion is scheduled for 2004.
It is hoped that projects along the rest of the route can be developed in parallel with the revival of the railway. These include expansion of the mines at Moatize, extended sugar production at Marromeu, a proposed power station at Tete which would use Moatize coal, and development of a new mineral port at Savane, north of Beira, which could handle ships up to 100000 tonnes.
State railway CFM estimates that restoration of the entire Sena line, including the branch to Malawi, could cost between US$100m and US$140m, with a similar amount needed for motive power and rolling stock. The World Bank will provide soft loans to help finance the government’s share, but the bulk of the funding would be provided by the private sector.
Four bidders have already been prequalified for a 40-year concession to operate the line, including a consortium of Tenwin and China Railways Construction Co, and New Limpopo Bridge Projects Investments with Spoornet.
