Bulawayo, (New Ziana)-The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is revitalizing some key interstate rail freight corridors as part of efforts to boost trade with neighbouring countries, an official has said.
NRZ Southern Region Regional Manager Joshua Mhandire said this at a stakeholder meeting to discuss ways to improve the freight and logistics sector in the country.
“We have 2 760 km of rail network across the country. Mozambique is our biggest trading route, using the port of Maputo via Chicualacuala. We also have Beitbridge on the South African side and Plumtree on the Botswana side which also links to South Africa via Mafikeng. Zambia is also another trading partner,” he said, adding the revitalization would improve capacity and spur economic growth in Zimbabwe and across the region.
Mhandire said Zimbabwe’s central position makes it a vital hub in Southern Africa, requiring seamless rail connectivity with Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia.
“When we improve volumes, the benefits are on transport costs and competitive commodity pricing on international markets,” he said.
Mhandire said in revitalising the corridors, the parastatal is benefiting from skills transfer from more technologically advanced countries while creating jobs through the rehabilitation projects.
He explained that the revitalisation began with key strategic corridors, including the completed and commissioned Machipanda-to-Beira line.
“Through strategic partnership with Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM), the Machipanda-Mutare route has been completed and commissioned. Work is now underway on the Mutare-Harare corridor and the Plumtree-Dabuka-Chicualacuala route through collaborative efforts with Botswana and Mozambique,” he said.
Mhandire added that the NRZ is collaborating with key customers to revitalize some assets under the Private-Public-Partnerships (PPPs).
“NRZ is set to release a fleet of five locomotives, 100 wagons, and 100 fuel tankers through funding from Zimasco, African Rail Company, and Strauss Logistics,” he said.
He added that the company has embraced private investors and partnered Paper Hole Investments, a subsidiary of Innscor Group, which plies its trade predominantly on the Beira corridor ferrying wheat, which has 70 wagons.
“We are pursuing some lease agreements with Transet and Sheltam of South African to argument our capacity. Our observation is that there is a lot of real rail-friendly business out there, hence these initiatives to build our capacity for the benefit of our customers,” he said.
Mhandire also spoke about the NRZ’s open access initiative which allows private operators with locomotives or wagons to partner with it, through which it is currently working with the Beitbridge Bulawayo Railways (BBR) and African Rail Company (ARC), boosting customer capacity.
“We have also partnered to ensure customers never know which side faces constraints. Through our agreement with CFM, they run engines from Marondera to Beira, if constraints arise on their side, NRZ reciprocates access to Beira ports. This system is live on the Beira, Maputo, and Botswana corridors with CFM and Botswana Railways, significantly cutting transit times and improving capacity turnaround. Under this strategy, we pooled resources with rail partners to harness Mozambique’s flatbed wagons for container transport. We urge customs and freight agents to leverage rail capacity for more business,” he said.
Mhandire added that NRZ is proposing new routes to handle increased volumes on the North-South Corridor, including proposed new routes via Mvuma in the Midlands province, and Nyazura in Manicaland province, passing through Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Disco) in Manhize, Chirumanzu district, the Midlands province, to create a shorter path to Beira.
“The Lion’s Den-Kafue rail link is also planned. Our goal is to strengthen seamless rail connectivity and cooperation across all SADC countries,” he said.
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