GPR Leasing Africa (GPR) has concluded a five-year lease of 100 grain hopper wagons to Corredor De Desenvolvimento Do Norte (CDN) in Mozambique.

CDN operates a part of the Nacala Corridor, which consists of the Port of Nacala in Mozambique, the Northern Railway network of Mozambique, and the railway system of Malawi (CEAR).

The lease is supported by CDN’s transport agreement with Bakhresa Malawi Limited, which owns a grain terminal in Nacala and a milling and packing facility in Malawi. It is part of the Bakhresa Milling Group, which has operations across eastern and southern Africa.

The wagons will be manufactured by and purchased from Welkom’s Galison Manufacturing, which has been manufacturing new and / or repairing existing rail freight wagons and other rolling stock for the past two decades.

“We are essentially supplying an African solution that will benefit three African countries,” says GPR’s, Jacques de Klerk.

The deal is GPR’s first innovative wagon lease in Africa. The agreement with CDN was signed in mid-October 2015 and the first wagons will be delivered in March 2016. All 100 wagons are expected to be delivered before the end of Q4, 2016. Insurance has been built into the lease rates.

“The new wagons are lighter, more efficient and more productive,” says André Soares, Director de Operações CDN. Wagon payload will be increased by around 4-5 tons, while better fuel efficiency and lower operating costs are other benefits. Furthermore, the wagons incorporate modern safety technology and are more environmentally-friendly to operate.