NSANJE, Malawi, July 7 -- China Railway 20th Bureau Group (CR20), contracted to rehabilitate the 72-km railway from Marka, the southern border station with Mozambique, to Bangula in Nsanje district, erected the longest bridge on the railway on Friday.

The bridge was completed with the placement of a 20.6-meter precast T-beam, weighing 38 metric tons, on the pier. This is one of 20 new bridges being constructed along the stretch, which will also feature 40 tunnels, 121 new culverts, and four stations, according to a statement released by the company on Friday.

Expected to be completed by October 2025, the project will facilitate the exchange of passengers and goods between Zambia and the port of Beira, Mozambique, creating a vital sea passage for southern African countries. Dubbed the "road of happiness that connects the world" by local residents, the railway will support the import and export of cross-border minerals, agricultural products and other resources.

Ru Hong, director of the Engineering Management Department for the Marka-Bangula Railway Project at China Railway 20th Bureau Group, said that the completion of the railway will "achieve Malawi and Mozambique railway interoperability" and enable the passage of Malawi's agricultural products, minerals and other resources to global markets.

The railway will also help Zambia and other landlocked countries transport their resources through Malawi to the seaport, Ru added.

The Marka-Bangula Railway was destroyed by floods in 1997, rendering it completely out of service. CR20 officially began reconstruction in January 2023.

  - Xinhua