TRAIN DERAILS AT ODZI, NO RAIL TRAFFIC BETWEEN ZIMBABWE AND MOZAMBIQUE

The Harare–Mutare railway line has been temporarily closed following a major train derailment at Odzi, near Mutare.

The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) confirmed the incident on Wednesday, 28 January, saying the derailment occurred after heavy rains on Sunday washed away a section of the railway track.

Four wagons loaded with ferrochrome destined for the Port of Beira in Mozambique were affected by the derailment. Fortunately, the cargo did not spill during the incident.

The closure of the Harare–Mutare line means there is currently no rail traffic between Zimbabwe and Mozambique. This follows the earlier closure of the Chicualacuala–Maputo railway line two weeks ago due to flooding in Mozambique.

NRZ warned that the shutdown of the two major rail corridors will severely disrupt trade between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, as well as transit traffic to other regional countries such as Botswana and Zambia.

Recovery operations are currently underway at the derailment site in Odzi, with teams focusing on salvaging the ferrochrome before commencing the re-railing process and realignment of the tracks.

NRZ said it expects the Harare–Mutare line to reopen by the weekend at the latest.

Source: Pindula News