Four Indian companies have shown interest in building a railway network in Mozambique to help Coal India Ltd to transport the coal it will mine in the East African country, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

“The Mozambican government requested manifestations of interest for construction of a railway network to transport coal and has so far received responses from four companies,” the agency said citing a source involved in the process.

State group Coal India Ltd, which in August 2009 was granted a prospecting license for two coal blocks in Mozambique’s Tete province, considered building a 450 kilometre railway line to carry the coal to a port.

The two blocks cover an area of over 200 square kilometres and are mined by Coal India Africana Limitada, a subsidiary of the Indian group. (macauhub)