Mozambique
Mozambique stretches 801,590 km² down the south-east coast of Africa, facing the Indian Ocean along some 2,500 km of shoreline and bordered inland by Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and South Africa. Maputo, the capital, sits at the far southern end, almost on the South African border. The Zambezi cuts the country roughly in half; north of it the land rises towards Lake Niassa and the highlands of Niassa province, while much of the south and centre is low coastal plain.
The railway was built to serve landlocked neighbours rather than Mozambique itself, and that still shapes it. Three separate corridors run inland from three different ports — Nacala in the north, Beira in the centre, Maputo in the south — totalling about 2,983 km of 1,067 mm Cape gauge, with a 140 km narrow-gauge line besides. Crucially, they do not connect to one another: there is no way to ride Mozambique end to end. Passenger demand has been rising, and CFM subsidises 85% of the fare.
Rail journeys in Mozambique
Good to know
Can you travel the length of Mozambique by train?
No, and this is the single most important thing to understand about the network. CFM is organised as three separate corridors — Norte, Centro and Sul — each running inland from its own port, and there is no rail connection between them. Any journey the length of the country involves leaving the railway.
Who runs the trains, and are they expensive?
In the centre and south, CFM, the state ports and railways company, founded over 130 years ago; it states on its own site that it covers 85% of the cost of the ticket. In the north CFM's page hands the passenger service to a concession, and it is Nacala Logistics that publishes the timetable and the fares. Either way these are everyday transport, not a tourist product.
What is the Nacala line?
The northern corridor, running inland from the port of Nacala to Cuamba and on towards Lichinga. Construction began in 1915 and stalled when the money ran out; the line reached Cuamba, 538 km inland, by 1950. It was destroyed by RENAMO in 1984 and closed, and rehabilitation began in November 2005.
Which journey should I start with?
Nampula to Cuamba — 341 km of the Nacala line, twice a week in each direction, ten and a half hours for 320 meticais. It is the longest passenger run in northern Mozambique and the one that shows what the railway is actually for.
Is there a rail pass?
No. Mozambique is outside any of the international pass schemes, and tickets are bought directly at the station, in cash, on named selling days.