New Zealand trains find new lease of life in Mozambique

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A stock photo of a railway in Maputo. Credit: Doctoresa/Shutterstock.
A stock photo of a railway in Maputo. Credit: Doctoresa/Shutterstock.
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Trains that were originally built for Auckland, New Zealand, are finding a new lease of life in Africa.

Eight sets of diesel-powered trains and carriages – ADK and ADB DMUs – are currently being shipped from New Zealand to Mozambique, on the continent’s south east coast, where they will enter into passenger service in the capital city of Maputo.

They became surplus to requirements with the introduction of CAF-built electric trains in 2014.


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A conditional agreement has also been made between Auckland Transport (AT) and an unnamed buyer to sell 31 of the 110 vehicles – 104 SA/SD carriages, which are British Rail Mark 2 carriages that were refurbished in New Zealand, and six SX carriages – that remain in storage at Taumarunui, with the prospect of selling the entire fleet in the future.

AT’s metro operations manager Brendon Main said: “By selling the trains it also reduces AT’s costs, as these have been stored in Mount Maunganui since the new electric trains began operating.

“The diesel trains serviced Auckland well between 1994 and 2014. With the introduction of the new electric fleet, the diesel trains were retired from the network, except for the ones which currently operate between Papakura and Pukekohe.”

This article has been edited to clarify that the units sold to Mozambique are ADK and ADB DMUs.

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