Chamwe Kaira
The proposed extension of the country’s railway line from Grootfontein to Katima Mulilo has been deemed visible by the final feasibility study report, which was recently approved by Cabinet.
According to the report prepared by MR Technofin Consultants Ltd of Canada, the Zambezi Extension Railway is viable from a technical, environmental, legal, financial, and economic standpoint.
The railway line is expected to connect to Zambia’s and Botswana’s rail network, thereby providing direct access to regional railway traffic to the Walvis Bay Port.
The Walvis Bay Corridor Group, said in the 2022/23 financial year that corridor cargo volumes entering and leaving the hinterland increased by 50 percent year-on-year, climbing from 1 639 510 tonnes to 2 464 123 tonnes.
The South African market grew with 42%, from 771 852 tonnes to 1 093 569 tonnes. In addition, DRC and Zambian markets have grown exponentially with 33 percent and 40 percent, respectively from 243 029 tonnes to 324 151 tonnes and 363 621 tonnes to 510 323 tonnes for both markets.
MR Technofin Consultants said discussions on rail operations and rolling stock requirements of the feasibility report have assumed that the current railway line between Walvis Bay and Grootfontein will be upgraded to meet the recommended design specifications of the Trans Zambezi Railway.
The Trans-Zambezi’s commercial potential hinges on seamless train movement between the proposed (Grootfontein- Katima Mulilo) and Namibia’s current network between Grootfontein and Walvis Bay.
The report said the railway line will depend on significant freight potential coming from regional transit traffic, through connectivity to and from the Walvis Bay port is immensely important.
The prospects for the project has been boosted by other projects like the one by Botswana and Zambia that are currently working bilaterally and are in the final stages of tendering a feasibility study for 367 km railway line from Mosetse (Botswana) to Kazungula (Zambia) via the Kazungula Bridge.
The other project is a proposed 56 km railway line from Mmamabula (Botswana) to Lephalale (South Africa).
In view of this development, the MR Technofin Consultants has found that connecting the proposed line from Katima Mulilo into Botswana via Ngoma (Namibia) is a ‘potential’ option apart from direct connectivity to Zambia through Katima Mulilo- Sesheke.
From Ngoma, the line would traverse Northwest Botswana, connect with the proposed Mosetse – Kazungula line and ultimately connect with Kazungula Bridge (and eventually, Livingstone, Zambia).
