Malawi to revamp railway transport, says Minister Jappie
Minister of Transport and Public Works, Jappie Mhango has said government is working towards reviving railway transport in a bid to reduce the cost of goods that is resulting from over dependence on the expensive road transport.
He said this in Salima on Friday when he inspected the railway overhauling project for the Nacala to Mchinji railway line by the Central East Africa Railway (CEAR).
“I am pleased with the work which the contractor Mota-Engil is doing. It is a super job and it is on track to be completed by the end of this year,” Mhango noted.
The Minister said the overhauling of the railway is part of projects which government, under the Transport Sector Master Plan, wants to undertake as way of revitalising rail transportation.
“As government we want to move from over dependence on road transport for goods, which is rather expensive, to using rail way transport. In this regard we want to build a rail line connecting Chilumba to Mbeya in Tanzania and Nsanje to Beira in Mozambique so that our fuel imports should be transported by rail,” Mhango explained.
The Minister said that once the interconnection is completed prices of goods like fuel would decrease due to reduced costs of transporting.
He asked people to stop vandalising national infrastructure including railway lines observingthat it is retrogressive to development.
Director for CEAR, Gustavo Stein disclosed that his company has pumped K5.2 billion intothe project.
“This is a big project and we are hoping that it will give us good results in terms of increased volume of goods passing through the corridor and speed due to improved tracks,” he remarked.
Musamatilankhulitse pambali a Jappie. Will you do it in 4 months? Munali kuti nthawi yonseyi?
A very good project with a minister who is chindere chakufikapo. My malawi!
The way to go Hon.Minister
Those are serious projects for the country
That’s the direction, commodities are skyrocketing now and again because of expensive transportation of goods in Malawi
Misewu ikungosungunukayi? Mwauponda a Jappi u MP. Inu tabwererani ku Olympics
But why is C.E.A.R not serious with a railway from Limbe to Mankhanga,there is alot of business in between.try to fix that coz many people stopped their businesses coz the train is no longer going to Nsanje.pa Lumchenza pakuchita kunyasa koma kale panali pa business area coz of train.
Did you to wait until the election year to tell us this. Revamping of the railway system should have been DPP priority. The southern section should have been done in parallel with Nsanje Inland Port. We should by now have had commuter services between BT. and LL.
YOUR TIME IS UP! PLEASE DONT WASTE OUR TIME WITH YOUR PROMISES.
TELL US WHAT PETER MUTHARIKA HAS DONE FOR THE 5 YEARS HE HAS BEEN PRESIDENT. DONT MENTION BICC, BNS, PRESIDENTIAL VILLAS, PARLIAMNET BUILDING, CHITIPA-KARONGA RD, MUST, PAUL KAGAME ROAD, NKHOMA KAMPHATA RD, NTCHISI RD, 5 STAR PRESIDENT’S HOTEL, KAMUZU MAUSOLEUM, DUAL CARRIAGE BTWN AREA 18 ROUND ABOUT AND CAPITAL HOTEL ROAUND ABOUT. ALL THESE ARE ALREADY ACREDITED TO BINGU WA MUTHARIKA.
TELL US DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS OF YOUR OWN MR. PRESIDENT!!!!!!
The way to go. Road transport is very expensive and roads get damaged which become even more expensive to maintain.