(4 Minutes Read)
Namibian Minister of Works and Transport John Mutorwa stated that the Namibian government is working on finalising the awarding of the Trans-Kalahari railway tender to connect with Botswana before the end of the year and the TKR-PMO is looking to execute the project.
Namibian Minister of Works and Transport John Mutorwa stated that the Namibian government is working on finalising the awarding of the Trans-Kalahari railway tender to connect with Botswana before the end of the year and the TKR-PMO is looking to execute the project. Namibia and Botswana are working with a lot of enthusiasm, whereby both are engaged in appointing the best bidder following the advertising of the expression of interest tender last year. By the end of the year all these tendering processes will be finalised, so that the project is ready for implementation, irrespective of the outcome of the elections this year, nothing can be done to reverse it, he further stated.
The railway line will stretch for about 1,500km and will be undertaken on a design, build, finance, operate, maintain, and transfer contract basis. This means, investors would fund the feasibility study and develop the proposed new railway corridor and/or upgrade the existing railway between the two countries.
The rail tender that closed in November 2023, attracted 12 international and local companies. Helo Group, West Coast Energy, Fullbright Investment, Grindrod, and Mega North Holdings, were Namibia companies that showed interest in the rail tender. International players that have shown interest include French multinational company NGE Contracting, Chinese firm China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, and Egypt’s Orascom Construction. Other companies include India’s Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, as well Lesedi Nehawu Investment JV, Trans-Kalahari Railway Initiative Consortium, Nations Capital Projects Pty (Ltd), and Seven Five Investments CC, all from South Africa.
Mutorwa also shared the latest development on the extension of the railway line from Grootfontein-Katima Mulilo leading into Zambia and Botswana, saying the feasibility study has been completed and approved by the Cabinet. The feasibility of the nearly 800km stretch was conducted by Canadian-based company MR Technofin Consultants Ltd, co-funded by Namibia and the African Development Bank, which recommended that the railway line is viable from a technical, environmental, legal, financial, and economic aspect.
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The Trans-Kalahari Railway project dates back to 2010 when the governments of Botswana and Namibia first signed a memorandum of understanding for its development. A pre-feasibility study was undertaken by CPCS Transcom International of Canada in 2009 and was completed in 2011. The economic case for the project was based on transporting coal to export markets. A further development study was undertaken by Australia’s Aurecon in 2016, following which the project was reconceived as a regional corridor development project, rather than being solely anchored on coal.
