… Future travelling schedule, ticket fare revealed
BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE – The Mozambique-Eswatini 600-seat passenger rail has been restored.
This was assessed last Saturday, during the first trials of the passenger rail between the Kingdom of Eswatini and Mozambique, which will soon officially open after experiments and consultations.
According to Club Mozambique, a Mozambican publication, after almost two decades, passenger rail services between the two countries restarted on an experimental basis last Saturday.
The publication stated that the 600-seat Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM) train will make two trips a month.
A CFM statement announced that the service would leave Maputo Central Station at 6am, arriving in Matsapha at around 2pm., standard fair costing just 1 250 meticais (E338) per passenger.
“Traders have welcomed the resumption of rail connections between the two countries, saying the move will greatly reduce commercial transaction costs.
“CFM has recently acquired new rolling stock with the aim of tackling a country-wide transport deficit, inaugurating and bolstering routes between cities and provinces,” revealed the Mozambique Club.
The Minister of Public Works and Transport, Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe, confirmed that there was an internal process of stimulation for the Mozambique-Eswatini passenger rail.
“The passenger train consultations are still going to take place. What was happening was an internal process stimulation.
“We are yet to call all important stakeholders to discuss opportunities, roles and responsibilities,” said the minister.
