Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM) wants to continue, this year, to invest in rail assets linked to infrastructure, as well as in the increase of rolling stock for all corridors under its management.

In the southern zone, the company points as one of the great challenges for this year to face the competition from the highway in the Maputo Corridor, through the provision of more circulating means and the duplication of the Ressano Garcia line.

For the Central region, CFM should focus its attention on operational repositioning after damage caused by Cyclones Idai and Ana, in addition to dredging and maintenance of the Port of Beira Access Channel; continuation of rehabilitation work on the Machipanda line.

For its part, the North Executive Directorate should operationalize investments for the expansion of the Port of Pemba, with a view to maximizing the turnover generated by the implementation of the oil and gas project in the province of Cabo Delgado, as well as the restoration of conditions for the resumption of activities with normality in the Port of Mocímboa da Praia.

Also in the list of activities programmed for this year, the CFM report points to the need to continue investments for the materialization of the Mozambique-Malawi railway interconnection, through the Dona Ana-Vila Nova da Fronteira bridge railway branch, in the Mutarara district, Tete province, an activity that is already practically concluded on the Mozambican side.

Regarding the Port of Maputo, the company says that this area maintains a huge potential for growth in rail volumes promoted by recent improvements and investments, both in infrastructure, technological solutions and human capital.

He warned, however, that earlier this year rail transport in the Center experienced a decrease in production due to the paralysis of operations, caused by cyclonic events that affected the Machipanda and Sena lines.

"Throughout the current year, we may see a reduction in the handling of fertilizers at the Port of Nacala, influenced by the worsening price of this input in the international market that affects the demand for this commodity by Malawi," warns the Mozambican rail-port company.(News)