Beira Railway 1899

occupation:
Railway company
Nationality:
Mozambican
Made:
Beira

The Beira Railroad Corporation (CCFB) is a railway company formed by a lease from the Mozambique Ports and Railways (CFM) to the Indian Rites and Ircon International consortium to operate a railroad that originates from the port of Beira, Mozambique as terminal. The 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge Beira line is important as it provides a port access for landlocked states such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and the Katanga Province. Originally the Beira railroad already established a connection to Salisbury, now Harare, in 1899 and had been a link in the rail system of southern Africa. The Beira railway has two major segments, the Machipanda line to Zimbabwe, and the Sena line to the coal fields of Moatize with further connection to Malawi. Both segments suffered during the guerrilla fighting in the 1980s when RENAMO sabotaged the railroad. Operational activity has been regained on the Machipanda line, and rehabilitation is expected to be completed on the Sena line by 2009.