Freight rail
services between Nacala-Porto, Nampula, Cuamba and Lichinga resume next week,
thanks to an understanding reached between the government, entrepreneurs and
the Northern Development Corridor company (CDN).
The news was
announced yesterday by President Filipe Nyusi at a rally in the village of
Maleme, Sanga district, marking the beginning of his three-day working visit to
Niassa province.High prices charged by the Northern Development Corridor (CDN)
had meant that only passenger services were operating on the Lichinga line,
forcing entrepreneurs to use road transport between Cuamba and Lichinga, which
is costly due to poor road conditions.
As for rail
transport, the CDN was charging the equivalent of US$75.53 per tonne between
Nacala Porto in Nampula province, and the city of Lichinga in Niassa province,
a distance of about 795 kilometres.Truck drivers were charging US$50 per ton on
the same route.
After negotiations, the rail price has been set at US$47.54 per
tonne.A total of 15 wagons of 35 tonnes each will be mobilised in the first
phase, the number expected to rise gradually depending on demand, according to
Niassa Provincial Director of Transport and Communications António Mateus.At
the end of 2016, President Nyusi re-inaugurated the262-kilometre
Cuamba-Lichinga railroad after several years out of service due to disrepair.
After operations on this section restarted, business people and the population
in general had hoped that life in Niassa, characterised by high prices for even
essential products, would improve, but transportation costs prevent this.
“We promise
to do everything to develop Niassa. One of the big problems, when we started
our term in office, was to extend rail freight services to Lichinga. This means
of transportation already reaches the city, but just carrying passengers,”
Nyusi said at the rally.As part of the effort to improve roads in the area,
President Nyusi will today break ground for the construction of the N13 between
Cuamba and Lichinga.
0 comentários:
Post a Comment