Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique reports growth in 2022
The use of trains in Mozambique has been gaining popularity, with Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM), a state-owned company, reporting significant growth in 2022. According to information from CFM, more than 5.5 million Mozambicans chose rail transport as a means of travel last year, an increase of 81% compared with 2021.
The number of passengers in 2022 represents 98% of what CFM's administration had forecast, illustrating the public's growing interest in and need for this form of transport. The company attributed this increase to the expansion of transport capacity in the southern and central regions of Mozambique, a direct result of recent investments.
Trains did not serve only to carry people. The state-owned company also revealed that the country's rail network was responsible for transporting a total of 24.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2022, representing an increase of 30% compared with 2021.
Mozambican ports also saw an increase in the handling of goods. In the 2022 fiscal year, the port terminals under CFM's management handled 13.21 million tonnes, a figure that is 6% higher than that recorded in 2021.
CFM faced a year full of challenges, with the first months of 2022 marked by cyclones, train derailments and the geopolitical tension between Russia and Ukraine. However, even in the face of these adversities, the company kept its focus on its objectives and invested 7.9 billion meticais (112.2 million euros) in rail and port infrastructure projects.
More recently, Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES), an Indian state-owned company, won a CFM tender with a proposal of 61 million dollars to supply ten new locomotives and 150 wagons.
Ending the year on a high note, CFM managed to post a positive result before tax, earning around 4.1 billion meticais (57.5 million euros) in 2022.
