Beira-Bulawayo railway, also called Machipanda railway, Beira-Harare-Bulawayo railway and Beira railway, is a railway that connects the city of Beira,

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, to the city of

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...

, in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. It is 850 km long, in a 1067 mm gauge.Mozambique Logistics Infrastructure: Mozambique Railway Assessment
Atlassian Confluence. 10 de dezembro de 2018. On the Mozambican stretch, between Beira and

Machipanda Machipanda is a town in Manica District, in the middle of Manica Province, Mozambique, near the border with Zimbabwe. Transport The city has one of the most important railway stations on the Beira–Bulawayo railway (or Machipanda railway), t ...

, the managing company is

Mozambique Ports and Railways Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (abbreviated CFM; in English Mozambique Ports and Railways) is a state-owned company that oversees the railway system of Mozambique and its connected ports. The rail system is composed of a total of 2,9 ...

(CFM); on the Zimbabwean stretch, between the cities of

Mutare Mutare (formerly Umtali) is the most populous city in the province of Manicaland, and the third most populous city in Zimbabwe, having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 and approximately 260,567 ...

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

and

, the administration is done by the company

National Railways of Zimbabwe The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), formerly Rhodesia Railways, is a state-owned company in Zimbabwe that operates the country's national railway system. It is headquartered in the city of Bulawayo. In addition to the headquarters, it has ...

(NRZ). Its main maritime logistics facility is the

port of Beira The Port of Beira is a Mozambican port located in the city of Beira, capital of the Sofala Province. It is located in Sofala Bay, which forms a huge complex with the mouth of the Pungoe River, known as the Beira estuary, facing the Mozambique Ch ...

History

Originally, the Beira–Bulawayo railway was to establish a rail connection between

and Beira, according to the understanding celebrated in the 1870s between

Portuguese East Africa Portuguese Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique) or Portuguese East Africa (''África Oriental Portuguesa'') were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese colony. Portuguese Mozambique originally ...

and the

Company rule in Rhodesia The British South Africa Company's administration of what became Rhodesia was chartered in 1889 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and began with the Pioneer Column's march north-east to Mashonaland in 1890. Empowered by its charter to ac ...

.Rhodesia Railways: Engines of History
Memories of Rhodesia. 2019. However, due to financial difficulties with the Portuguese partners, the construction of the first stretch of the Beira–Bulawayo railway started only in 1892; the infrastructure, in narrow gauge of 610 mm, connected, already on February 4, 1898, Beira to the border city

, in

, covering 357 kilometers. In 1898, a 1,067 mm gauge line was opened from Harare to Mutare, with subsequent conversion of the 610 mm narrow gauge section connecting to Beira in 1900. Still in the 1890s, work began on extending the original project, starting from

, in Zimbabwe, to build a 1,067 mm railway to the north, up to Harare, which was definitively completed in 1899. After the conversion of Mutare (1067 mm) and

(610 mm), the line finally connected Bulawayo,

Gweru Gweru is a city in central Zimbabwe. Near the geographical centre of the country. It is on the centre of Midlands Province. Originally an area known to the Northern Ndebele people, Ndebele as "The Steep Place" because of the Gweru River's high ...

, Manica,

Chimoio Chimoio is the capital of Manica Province in Mozambique. It is the fifth-largest city in Mozambique. Chimoio's name under Portuguese administration was ''Vila Pery''. Vila Pery developed under Portuguese rule as an important agricultural and tex ...

, Dondo and Beira. **Maryland-Kildonan branch: a sub-branch of the Harare-Chinhoyi branch, which leaves from the village of Maryland and goes to the village of Kildonan. **Bindura branch: a sub-branch of the Harare-Chinhoyi branch, which leaves from the city of Harare and goes to the village of

Shamva Shamva is a town in the province of Mashonaland Central in the Shamva District of Zimbabwe. It is located in the Mazowe valley about 90 km north-east of Harare. The area was called Abercorn by Rhodesian colonizers. The present name is deriv ...

. *

Masvingo Masvingo is a city in south-eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The city is situated close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monument from which the country takes its name and close to Lake Mutirikwi, its recreational park, th ...

branch: connects the city of

to the city of

. **

Shurugwi Shurugwi, formerly Selukwe, is a small town and administrative centre in Midlands Province, southern Zimbabwe, located about 350 km (220 miles) south of Harare, with a population of 22,900 according to the 2022 census. The town was establ ...

branch: a sub-branch of the Gweru-Masvingo branch, which leaves from the city of Gweru and goes to the village of

. * Incisa branch: in the city of Incisa. * Redcliff branch: in the town of Redcliff.

Railway connections

In Dondo, the Beira–Bulawayo line connects with the

Sena railway Sena railway, also called Shire Highlands railway, Dondo-Malawi railway and North-South Malawi railway, is a railway that connects Dondo, Mozambique, to Chipata, in Zambia. It is 1000 km long, in a 1067 mm gauge. In

Somabhula Somabhula is a village and ward (commune) in Midlands province in Zimbabwe. It is also the rail junction for Zimbabwe's southern links to neighboring Mozambique and South Africa. It was a major beef and mixed farming area until anala Mabena and ...

, the Beira–Bulawayo line connects with the

Limpopo railway Limpopo Railway, also called Gweru-Maputo railway, is a railway that connects the city of Maputo, Mozambique, to the city from Somabhula, in Zimbabwe. It is 900 km long, in a 1067 mm gauge.

. In

Umzingwane Umzingwane is a village and seat of the Umzingwane District, in Matabeleland South province, in Zimbabwe. It has one of the most important railway stations in the nation, connecting the Beira–Bulawayo railway Beira-Bulawayo railway, also cal ...

, the Beira–Bulawayo line connects with the Beitbridge-Bulawayo railway. In

, the Beira–Bulawayo line connects with the

Cape to Cairo Railway The Cape to Cairo Railway was an unfinished project to create a railway line crossing Africa from south to north. It would have been the largest and most important railway of that continent. It was planned as a link between Cape Town in Sout ...

.Two empires, two railway projects
United World. 8 november 2021.

Main railway stations

The main railway stations of the Beira–Bulawayo railway are: * Beira * Dondo *

* Manica *

Rusape Rusape is a town in Zimbabwe. Location It is located in Makoni District in Manicaland Province, in northeastern Zimbabwe. It lies approximately , by road, southeast of Harare, the capital and the largest city in Zimbabwe. Rusape is situated on ...

* Kadoma *

History

Railway connections

Main railway stations

References

Further reading