[SMM Chromium News]

Published: Jul 22, 2026 19:27

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[Zimbabwe Taps Rail to Cut Chrome, Ferrochrome Road-Freight Load — New US$1.5M West Nicholson Siding Begins First Bulk-Mineral Shipments to Maputo]

1. Zimbabwe's Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR) commissioned a US$1.5 million transshipment rail siding at West Nicholson, Matabeleland South, on Monday — built in partnership with private operator Silvergill Logistics and state-owned National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ).

2. The siding is engineered to handle chrome, ferrochrome and other bulk minerals, moving output by rail to the Port of Maputo — the same corridor Zimasco already uses to ship ferrochrome from its Kwekwe smelters.

3. BBR General Manager Kumbulani Tendai Mabvura said the project is a declaration that "rail is back at the center of national logistics" for Zimbabwe's bulk minerals trade.

4. Cost relief: BBR and the Ministry of State for Matabeleland South frame the siding as easing pressure on the road network, cutting road-maintenance bills and truck congestion — costs that have been inflating landed prices of Zimbabwean chrome and ferrochrome.

5. Bulk-friendly shift: Rail is positioned as the safer, more efficient mode for bulk mineral freight, supporting Zimbabwe's push to scale ferrochrome output toward 1 million tonnes/year under the proposed Palm River project.

6. Timing: The siding opens as Zimbabwe's 2025 ferro-alloy sales rose 19% y/y to 433,293 tonnes (US$372 million, per MMCZ), even as chrome ore concentrate exports stagnated and revenue fell 12% — reinforcing rail as a national priority for chrome/ferrochrome tonnage.

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