The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
CARGO is now moving from Harare to Beira following the completion of repairs on the railway line that was recently damaged after the derailment of a goods cargo train at Tsungwesi, Nyazura, just over a fortnight ago.
The derailment damaged about 200 metres of the rail track, rendering the Beira Corridor inaccessible for two weeks.
The railway line was opened last week on Saturday.
National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ)’s civil engineering department was responsible for the restoration and maintenance of the railway line, while the carriage and wagon department was responsible for clearing the loco and wagon debris.
NRZ spokesperson, Mr Nyasha Maravanyika, said the railway line is now open.
“As soon as the accident occurred, our team was on the ground doing the work. The materials that we used were coming from different areas, far away from the scene. Some of them came from Bulawayo, Gweru, while ballast stones came from Shamva and Bindura and this caused the delays in finishing the repairs. If the derailment had taken place in Harare or Bulawayo, it would have taken fewer days to open the line. The line is now open as the team that was on the ground executed the process without any challenges,” said Mr Maravanyika.
However, he could not state the exact cost of the rehabilitation saying the budget is still to be consolidated.
Heavy hydraulic equipment was summoned to break the locomotive wreckage to retrieve the body of the freight train, Mr Collet Gwini (43), who was trapped for almost 18 hours, while the other three crew members – Kudakwashe Bande (guard), Humphrey Dingani and one Dingaan (technicians) – were rescued and rushed to Rusape General Hospital for treatment. The chrome-laden goods train, which had 22 wagons, was coming from Harare and heading towards Beira, Mozambique.
Two red DE6 engines leased from Sheltam, South Africa, were a total write-off, while 19 recently commissioned wagons were extensively damaged.
