Maputo, Mozambique, 2 Sept – One hundred and fifty train carriages gathered from across Mozambique have been refurbished since March at the general workshops of railroad company, Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM-Sul), according to Mozambican newspaper Notícias.

With the aim of meeting rising demand for rolling stock in Mozambique and the region a programme for refurbishing 45 locomotives is also underway, five of which are already operating for the South African mining industry, after having been refurbished by a South African company.

According to Issufo Amarcy, director of the Technical Management Unit for Networks and Equipment one of the constraints that had always affected the process of refurbishing rolling stock was the availability of accessories on the market, some of which have to be ordered from manufacturers, often implying further delays.

Currently CFM says it has capacity to meet demand for locomotives and that the biggest concern is increasing the availability of carriages both for transporting sugar and fuel.

CFM has been developing partnerships with its South African (Transnet) and Swazi (Swazi Railways) counterparts with the aim of attracting traffic to the Maputo and Goba corridors, projects which, in the medium term, may result in a rise in traffic and consequent meeting of needs in terms of rolling stock. (macauhub)