involving three transhipments and delays. The Central African Railway was poorly built, and soon needed extensive repairs. Trans-Zambezia Railway In the early 20th century, Beira developed as a major port: it was far superior to Chinde, which was severely damaged by a cyclone in 1922. The Trans-Zambezia Railway, constructed between 1919 and 1922, ran from the south bank of the Zambezi to join the main line from Beira to Rhodesia. Its promoters had interests in Beira port, and they ignored its high cost and limited benefit to Nyasaland or a shorter alternative route to the small port of Quelimane. River transport was practically defunct after 1935. The only recorded traffic on the Shire River within Nyasaland was a seasonal service run by the Shire Highlands Railway for the collection of cotton and other produce between Chiromo and Chikwawa. Nyasaland Railways Limited The Zambezi crossing remained the weak point in the link to Beira. The ferry used old steamers towing barges between Chindio on the north bank and Muracca on the south bank, and its capacity was limited. For two months a year the river was too shallow, at other times it flooded. In 1930, Nyasaland Railways Limited was formed. The new company acquired the Shire Highlands Railway and Central African Railway, and made plans to extend the railway north and south. In 1935, the ferry was replaced by the construction of the Dona Ana Bridge (or Zambezi Bridge), over long, creating an uninterrupted rail link to the sea. The new bridge crossed the Zambezi upstream from the Chindio-Muracca ferry. The northern extension from Blantyre to Salima near Lake Nyasa was also completed in 1935, and a terminal for lake services was developed at the nearby lake port of Chipoka. The government turned over operation of lake services to Nyasaland Railways, who operated cargo and passenger services between ports on the lake. After the completion of the Dona Ana bridge, connecting the railway sections of Malawi and Mozambique became possible. When the sections were finally connected, the line between Dondo (Mozambique) and Blantyre (Malawi) was named Sena railway. Colonial railway operations Unfortunately, the Zambezi Bridge and northern extension to Lake Nyasa created less traffic than anticipated, and it was only in 1946 that the traffic levels predicted in 1937 were reached. By this time, motor transport was becoming an alternative to rail, but government regulations designed to promote the use of