Central East African Railways (Cear) director of operations Gustavo Stein says the construction of the new Shire North Railway Bridge in Balaka will boost socio-economic development.
The official said this last week in Balaka when Minister of Transport and Public Works Mohammad Sidik Mia toured the bridge to appreciate the efforts the company is investing in the improvement of railway business.
Stein said the 165-metre long bridge valued at $11 million (about K9 billion) will carry over 21 metric tonnes (MT) per axel compared to the previous bridge that handled below 15MT per axel.
He said the construction is expected to finish and become operational in December this year.
“This will definitely increase the carriage of cargo from within and outside countries,” he said.
Mia expressed satisfaction with the increase in loading capacity of the bridge.
“This means that any goods that can come from Nacala Port [in Mozambique] and other areas will be able to reach the country with ease hence we would like to see much usage of the railway,” he said.
On his part, the ministry’s Principal Secretary Patrick Zimpita said the company is in a 30- year concession agreement with the government to manage the railway and the stations as they ferry cargo.
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