the railway hindered the development of road transport. All the rail lines were narrow gauge and single track, and the Shire Highlands Railway in particular had sharp curves and steep gradients, so the system was inadequate for heavy train loads. Maintenance costs were high and freight volumes were low, so freight rates were up to three times those of Rhodesian and East African lines. Independent Malawi Upon independence, Nyasaland Railways changed its name to Malawi Railways Limited. On 17 May 1968 work began on a 101 km rail extension to connect Malawi Railways to the existing Nacala railway in Mozambique, to give Malawi access to the seaport of Nacala in northern Mozambique. The new railway connected to Malawi's north–south line at Nkaya, and to the existing Nacala line at Nova Freixo in Mozambique (present-day Cuamba). The line was inaugurated by President Hastings Banda on 4 July 1970 and began operations on 3 August. The project cost £5.4 million, financed by a long-term, low-interest loan from the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa. An extension of the Sena railway, starting from the city Salima, towards the west, reaching Lilongwe and Mchinji, was completed in 1979. Although costly and inefficient, the rail link to Beira remained a main bulk transport link until 1979 when it was destroyed by RENAMO forces in the Mozambican Civil War. By then, Malawi had its second rail link to the Mozambique port of Nacala. In 1984 the Nacala link was also lost, when the Nacala railway was destroyed by RENAMO forces. Lake services were separated from Malawi Railways in 1994. The Nacala railway link was later restored, and is Malawi's principal route for imports and exports today. In 2017, the Nacala railway link was extended west from Nkaya junction to the coal mines at Moatize in Mozambique. See also Eugene Sharrer History of Malawi Rail transport in Malawi References Notes Bibliography External links illustrated account of the railways of Nyasaland Malawi Rail Rail transport in Malawi de:Schienenverkehr in Malawi#Geschichte