The Harare–Mutare railway line has been temporarily closed following a major derailment at Odzi, near Mutare.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) confirmed the incident on Wednesday, 28 January, saying the derailment occurred after heavy rains on Sunday caused a section of the tracks to wash away.
As a result, there is currently no rail traffic to or from Mozambique, following the closure of the Chicualacuala–Maputo line two weeks ago due to flooding in the neighbouring country. The NRZ said:
“The NRZ informs its valued customers and stakeholders of the temporary closure of the Harare-Mutare line following a major derailment at Odzi, near Mutare.
“The derailment affected four wagons loaded with ferrochrome destined for the Port of Beira in Mozambique.
“The derailment came after tracks on the section suffered a wash away due to heavy rains that fell on Sunday.
“The closure of the line means there is currently no traffic moving to and from Mozambique following the closure of the Chicualacuala-Maputo line two weeks ago due to floods in the neighbouring country.
“The closure of the two corridors will severely affect trade between the two countries and also transit traffic to neighbouring countries like Botswana and Zambia.
“Recovery efforts are underway in Odzi with teams now working on salvaging the ferrochrome, which, thankfully, did not spill.
“Thereafter, the re-railing process will begin, followed by realignment of the tracks. We expect the line to reopen by this weekend at the latest.”
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