The construction of a railway line that was to run parallel to the valleys of the
Incomati and
Limpopo rivers began in the 1910s, initially connecting the city of
Moamba,
Magude and
Ungubana, reaching the village of
Xinavane. This stretch was completed and entered into operations in 1914. In May 1953, works on the line were resumed, In the 1960s the government of
Rhodesia completed the extension of the railway from Chicualacuala/Nyangambe, passing through
Rutenga, until reaching the
Somabhula junction station. The
Mozambican Civil War interrupted railroad traffic, causing, due to attacks and sabotages, the almost total degradation of the Mozambican section of the line. The Limpopo Railway was restored in the 1990s, but had to be practically rebuilt in 2004 after the damage caused by the floods in 2000 in the Limpopo and Incomati river valleys. After the reopening, it changed its route definitively, starting from Maputo and not from Moamba, going directly to
Manhiça and
Chócue; however, they have been operating well below cargo capacity, due to weak demand from Zimbabwe and other neighboring countries. == Railway branches ==