A picture in words from a railway far, far away. Dear reader, read and think what's the same and what differs
Inside, the carriages remain pitch dark until the sun rises as the operator has not installed any lighting.
A blast of the horn and the sound of grinding metal marks the train's stately progress along the 350-kilometre (220-mile) line to Cuamba -- more than 10 hours away.
Five or six passengers cram onto benches intended for four without a murmur of complaint.
"The train is always full," said Argentina Armendo, his son kneeling down nearby.
"Lots of people stay standing. Even those who have a ticket can't be sure of getting on. They should add some coaches!"
- 'Enormous growth potential' -
"Yes, but it's not expensive," insists the conductor Edson Fortes, cooly. "It's the most competitive means of transport for the poor. With the train, they are able to travel."
Sitting in a vast, ferociously air-conditioned office Mario Moura da Silva, the rail operations manager for CDN, the company operating the line, appears more concerned about passenger numbers as a measure of success than perhaps their comfort.
In 2017, its trains carried almost 500,000 -- a 265-percent increase on a year earlier.
"Passenger traffic isn't profitable but it's a requirement of the contract with the government," said Moura da Silva.
From
The Daily Mail
