Railway transport on track in landlocked Malawi
MALAWI experienced substantial development and strategic positioning for the future regarding rail development, with notable highlights, among other things, increased regional integration, according to the director of railway services, Geoffrey Magwede.
“CEAR and Vale Logistic Limited continued their successful operation of the Nacala Corridor, with increased frequencies leading to a rise in freight traffic. This demonstrated the potential of rail transport as a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to roads for regional trade. Additionally, African Rail Cooperation was registered as a new railway operator in Malawi,” he says.
Magwede discloses that 14,416,770.55 tons of cargo, 13,638,260 tons of coal, and 778,510.55 tons of general cargo passed through Malawi’s railway network in 2023.
He says work for the rehabilitation of the Marka to Bangula railway section in southern Malawi has commenced. A detailed design stage has been completed, and physical works are ongoing. Trains from the Indian Ocean Port of Beira in Mozambique port are bringing construction materials for the project up to Marka in Nsanje District in Malawi.
“Construction of major railway bridges along the Limbe to Salima section has been ongoing with an expected improved capacity of the Limbe to Nkaya section and re-establishment of railway access to Salima from Nkaya once the bridge works are completed within Malawi,” says Magwede.
Another milestone has been the improved efficiency of rail transport in Malawi following the successful enforcement of safety, infrastructure, operational, and rolling stock standards for the railway concessionaires and operators in Malawi, which were achieved by implementing frequent inspection and monitoring activities.
“There has also been improved human resource capacity for the rail sub-sector following the implementation of training programs in transport and logistics for engineers at the department. Other engineers were sent to attend post-graduate training in railway-specialized courses abroad.”
Magwede says efforts are ongoing to reduce vandalism and theft of railway infrastructure. However, there has been little progress on railway rehabilitation projects. As many railway rehabilitation projects were ongoing in the country in 2023, they registered slow progress due to various factors, including erratic fuel supplies in the country, the occurrence of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, and the devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha, just to mention a few.
“Cases of theft and vandalism of railway infrastructure, mainly railway fastening, steel sleepers and fishplates, have been influenced by misalignment of regulation enforcement on the scrap metal industry. Despite the implementation of various railway safety awareness initiatives by both the Ministry of Transport and Public Works and railway concessionaires, there were a lot of fatal railway accidents along the operational railway sections. The Department of Railway Services intends to intensify railway safety awareness campaigns for communities in the affected sections of the railway,” Magwede says.
Malawi only has railway connectivity to Mozambique and Zambia. There currently needs to be a railway connection to Tanzania. Magwede explains that the upcoming feasibility study for expanding the railway to the North will explore extending the railway to Tanzania.
System
With its interconnection with Mozambique, Malawi benefits from direct rail access to the Nacala and Beira ports, and Zambia is also connected to the railway system in Malawi at Chipata.
“However, the Nkaya - Mchinji section connecting to Zambia is currently not functional. Once railway connectivity is restored, Malawi will potentially benefit from revenue collected from transportation charges for cargo to pass through the railway in Malawi”, Magwede adds.
The Ministry of Transport and Public Works, in partnership with the Public-private Partnership Commission, intends to undertake a feasibility study for expanding the railway to the north of Malawi.
“As it stands, procurement of a consultant has already commenced and is set to be concluded in 2024. The study will establish the recommended approach to linking the north to the rest of the country,” he says.
Meanwhile, Malawi’s Concession Agreement with Vale Logistics Limited, now called Vulcan Logistics Limited, is ongoing.
The Concession Agreement is responsible for the passage of coal trains through Malawi from its western to the eastern border with Mozambique. Malawi collects concession fees from the agreement as a form of revenue.