The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has informed customers and stakeholders of the temporary closure of the Harare–Mutare railway line following a major derailment at Odzi, near Mutare.
The incident involved four wagons loaded with ferrochrome destined for the Port of Beira in Mozambique. The derailment occurred after a section of track was washed away as a result of heavy rains that fell on Sunday. The closure of the Harare–Mutare line means that there is currently no rail traffic moving to and from Mozambique, following the earlier closure of the Chicualacuala–Maputo line two weeks ago due to flooding in the neighbouring country.
The closure of both corridors is expected to have a severe impact on bilateral trade between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, as well as on transit traffic to neighbouring countries, including Botswana and Zambia. Recovery operations are underway at Odzi, with teams working to salvage the ferrochrome cargo, which did not spill.
This will be followed by the re-railing of the wagons and realignment of the affected track section. NRZ expects the line to reopen by the end of the week.
