Rail transport in Namibia

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Railway lines in Namibia
Silted up railway line Swakopmund - Walvis Bay (2017)
World icon

The rail transport in Namibia is operated on a wide-meshed, 2687 km long route network. Today the operator is the state-owned company TransNamib .

Most of the route network, in terms of length and equipment, dates from the time of German South West Africa , but has been renovated and expanded since the mid-1990s. In January 2015, the cost of renovating the entire route network was estimated at up to nine billion Namibian dollars . For the financial years 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18, more than five billion Namibian dollars were made available for route renovations and new construction at the end of March 2015.

History and network

German colonial times

The beginning

Freight train with whale bones, collected on the beach between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, for transport to South Africa

The basic structure of the Namibian railway network comes from the time when the country was a colony of the German Empire as German South West Africa .

The arid South West Africa was not very productive in agriculture, so that at the beginning all overland transport was done with ox wagons. This transport system largely collapsed after a cow plague in 1897.

As the now extremely precarious transport situation had to react quickly, the decision was made to

  1. to build a railway line from the German port of Swakopmund to Windhoek ,
  2. to use existing military field railway material of the 600 mm gauge and
  3. to commission a railway brigade with the construction, which began in September 1897.

Operation of the entire route began on June 19, 1902.

Network construction

Railway bridge over the Swakop near Okahandja, around 1910
Otavi Mining and Railway Company (OMEG): Diesel locomotive " Kronprinz " (1914)
Karibib Railway Station 1920

The construction of the railroad that followed this first line was based partly on strategic military considerations as a consequence of the Herero and Nama uprisings , and partly on economic requirements. This is how the routes were built up to the First World War (year of complete commissioning):

The technical staff for both rail construction and rail operations were recruited from the state railways in Germany.

Factory line of the diamond fields

The 600 mm gauge of the diamond fields between Kolmannskuppe and Bogenfels has been electrified since 1911, making it the only electrically operated railway in Namibia to this day. As diamond mining moved ever further south, the northern part of the railway to Pomona was abandoned in 1931 and the material was partly used for the extension of the railway towards Oranjemund . The southern section was operated with diesel traction. The railway no longer exists today, the dismantling is done with bulldozers and trucks .

First World War and after

With the outbreak of the First World War , the German protection force evacuated the coast, retreated inland and destroyed the Otavibahn and the old state railway line in the direction of Karibib to Rössing. The British immediately followed up from the British enclave of Walvis Bay and in 1914 built a 37-kilometer railway to Swakopmund in Cape Gauge . The reconstruction of the Otavibahn in the direction of Karibib also took place in Kapspur, with the last section between Usakos and Karibib being re-routed. The network north of Usakos remained in 600 mm operation. The workshop for both types of operation was combined in Usakos, the one in Karibib closed.

The neighboring South Africa was also an opponent of the German Reich. From there - as an extension of the De Aar - Prieska line - the construction of the railway was pushed ahead in order to obtain a safe supply route for the South African troops . In 1916 the track in Kalkfontein / Karasburg was connected to the German network.

Network construction

Passenger train in Namibia at the time of the South African occupation

The routes were created under South African / British direction (year of full commissioning):

  • 1914: Walfishbay – Swakopmund in 1067 mm track
  • 1915: Swakopmund – Karibib: Reconstruction in 1067 mm gauge
  • 1915/1916: (De Aar) - Nakop (border) –Kalkfontein in 1067 mm track
  • 1921: Otjiwaronge-Outjo in 600 mm track (based on German preparatory work)
  • 1929: Windhoek – Gobabis railway in 1067 mm gauge
  • Starting from 1958 the Otavibahn was 1067 mm to gradually north of Usakos umgespurt , wherein the path was created parallel to the existing but mainly new; Commissioned in 1961.

Term of office

Since August 1915, the railway network of South West Africa was de facto operated by South African Railways and officially added to it in 1922.

Since 1959, the steam locomotives have been gradually replaced by diesel locomotives , for which a depot was built in Windhoek. This made operations much easier, since water is scarce in Namibia and the coal for the machines also had to be brought from the Transvaal .

In the mid-1980s, South Africa transferred its previous responsibility for the transport infrastructure and rail vehicles to the responsible administrative offices in South West Africa / Namibia . The handover of the fixed assets with a value of 2.28 billion rand took place formally on the start date on May 10, 1985 from SATS to the general administrator in Windhoek. The handover comprised the state rail and road network. The state aviation services and the port of Walvis Bay were not included . The handover of the rail network had already started on April 1, 1985 and should be completed by April 1, 1987. After the takeover, an advisory board for transport issues set up by the general administrator proposed the termination of passenger transport services in general and the suspension of three routes, the connections to Gobabis , Lüderitz and Outjo .

present

Freight train south of Keetmanshoop
Diesel locomotive 32-001 in Windhoek (2006)
The Shongololo train crosses the Gurieb River near Simplon (2017)

The railway network has been operated by TransNamib since Namibia's independence . Due to the more than 100-year-old basic structure, numerous sections of the route have been renovated since the mid-1990s. Since these renovations are far from complete, numerous sections of the route have been closed to passenger traffic in recent years.

Network expansion

All newly built or renovated railway lines were built in 1067 mm gauge ( Cape gauge ). The first section of the Tsumeb – Oshikango line to Ondangwa was put into operation in 2006 as a completely new line. The second section to Oshikango is progressing slowly due to financial problems. In a third phase (as of December 2014) Oshakati is currently being connected. In the long term, a connection with the Angolan Railways ( CFA ) is being sought.

On March 8, 2010, a contract was also signed to build a connection from the Otavi railway to the Ohorongo cement factory , which was operational in March 2011. After more than 13 years of construction, the renovation of the Südbahn ( Lüderitz – Seeheim line ) between Aus and Lüderitz has not yet been completed.

In mid-2015, the renovation of around 400 kilometers of rail network between the Kranzberg separation station and Tsumeb with the Otavi – Tsumeb section began. The Namibian development plan ( Harambee Prosperity Plan ) for the years 2016 to 2020 provides for the expansion of the Walvis Bay – Tsumeb (completed in 2020), Sandverhaar – Buchholzbrunn and Aus – Lüderitz (sand tunnel) routes with a total length of 612 kilometers. At the end of 2017, the African Development Bank approved a loan of 153 million US dollars for the expansion of the 210-kilometer-long Walvis Bay – Kranzberg section to 80 km / h for freight and 100 km / h for passenger transport .

Planned routes

Two railway lines in Namibia are currently (as of May 2015) in the planning stage:

  • The so-called Eastern Railway or Trans-Kalahari Railway (working name: "TransKalahari Railway Line Development") is currently in the planning phase. The construction was agreed in writing between the two countries in 2014. The changed route of 1,500 kilometers leads from Botswana to the port of Walvis Bay . The planned construction should cost between 9.2 and 15 billion US dollars.

In addition, the construction of a three-country railway line to transport coal from Botswana and South Africa was planned. This route should open up the planned port of Angra Fria in northern Namibia (working name: "Trans-Caprivi Railway Line").

museum

Armored vehicle ( Casspir ) from the time of the South African occupation in the TransNamib Museum in Windhoek
  • The TransNamib Museum is the central railway museum in Namibia. It is located on the first floor of the historic reception building of Windhoek train station. Some vehicles are also shown in the open-air area in front of the train station.
  • A 600 mm gauge train is on display in the Namibian National Museum in Windhoek - including sleeping cars that are unusual for this gauge .
  • There are other historical trains in Usakos and Otjiwarongo , among others

See also

literature

  • Uwe Albert: Then and now ", On the tracks of the railways in German South West Africa , Windhoek 2016, ISBN 978-99916-909-1-9 .
  • Brenda Bravenboer, Walter Rusch: The First 100 Years of State Railways in Namibia. Windhoek 1997, ISBN 0-86976-401-2 .
  • Helmut Schroeter: The railways of the former German protected areas in Africa and their vehicles (= The vehicles of the German railways . Volume 7). Transport Science Teaching Aid Society , Frankfurt 1961, DNB 454487177 .
  • Beat H. Schweizer: Railways in Namibia, 110 years of rail transport in the former German Southwest Africa. TrevorB Editions, Somerset West 2007, ISBN 978-3-907579-99-2 .
  • Gerhardus Pool: Railways in German South West Africa 1897–1915. Namibia Scientific Society, Windhoek 2009, ISBN 978-3-936858-71-6 .
  • Walter Paschasius: "The Liberation of Okahandja", a railway workers' story. Windhoek 2014, ISBN 978-99916-872-9-2 .
  • Matthias Hille: Namibia - Railway in the former German Southwest , Eisenbahn-Kurier, issue 1/2008, pages 70 to 74

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rail history and distribution network. TransNamib Holdings Limited, 2017, archived from the original on January 22, 2018 ; accessed on January 21, 2018 (English).
  2. ↑ N $ 9 billion for railway network refurbishment. The Namibian, January 21, 2015  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ). Retrieved January 21, 2015@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.namibian.com.na
  3. ^ Govt to spend billions on SOEs. The Namibian, April 7, 2015 ( memento of April 7, 2015 in the web archive archive.today ) accessed on April 7, 2015
  4. ↑ According to Schroeter; Bravenboer does not mention the railway.
  5. ↑ For example the construction and operating consortium Bachstein - Koppel (Berlin): Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Official Journal of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of May 6, 1911, No. 22. Announcement No. 300, p. 140 .
  6. ↑ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Official Journal of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of November 10, 1906, No. 59. Announcement No. 624, p. 507: The Foreign Office is looking for four locomotive heaters for the South West African Railway Administration. The prerequisites were a three-year service contract and, if possible, experience in small railroad operations. An annual salary of 4,200 to 4,700 marks was offered . In addition, there was a 20% surcharge as long as there was still the war against the Herero , once 300 marks each for equipment in the first and second year as well as 700 marks for travel expenses. Travel expenses for the family were covered if necessary; Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Official Gazette of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of August 8, 1908, No. 50. Announcement No. 641, p. 577, regarding locomotive drivers.
  7. ^ SAIRR: Race Relations Survey 1985 . Johannesburg 1986, p. 227
  8. ^ SAIRR: Race Relations Survey 1986, Part 1 . Johannesburg 1987, pp. 198-199
  9. ↑ Klaus Dierks : Namibia's narrow-gauge railways open up Africa's last wilderness: The further development, consolidation and decline of the Namibian railway system from 1930 to independence in 1990 and thereafter . on www.klausdierks.com
  10. ↑ The rail network should enjoy priority. ( Memento from November 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: Allgemeine Zeitung. July 14, 2010.
  11. ↑ Emergency call for railway renovation. In: Allgemeine Zeitung. June 30, 2009.
  12. ↑ Govt pays 25 cents per m2. Namibian Sun, December 19, 2014 ( memento from December 20, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) accessed on December 20, 2014
  13. ^ Contract for the construction of a railway connection. In: Allgemeine Zeitung. March 9, 2010.
  14. ↑ Connection by track. In: Allgemeine Zeitung. May 19, 2010.
  15. ↑ Desie Heita: Ohorongo cement now available ( Memento from September 4, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ). March 4, 2011, accessed September 15, 2011
  16. ↑ Harambee Prosperity Plan 2016 / 17–2019 / 20, Namibian Government's Action Plan towards Prosperity for All. (PDF) Republic of Namibia, April 2016, p. 53 , accessed on January 21, 2018 (English).
  17. ↑ AfDB grants US $ 153mn loan for railway project in Namibia. In: African Review. Alain Charles Publishing, December 14, 2017, accessed January 21, 2018 .
  18. ↑ Small steps to the Ostbahn. In: Allgemeine Zeitung. January 5, 2011.
  19. ↑ Development projects of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport accessed on February 25, 2011
  20. ^ New Era: Trans-Kalahari railway on track . News from August 12, 2014 on www.newera.com.na (English)
  21. ↑ March 20, 2014 Morning News. Hitradio Namibia, March 20, 2014 ( memento from March 20, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) accessed on March 20, 2014
  22. ↑ May 15, 2015 News in the evening. Hitradio Namibia ( Memento from May 15, 2015 in the web archive archive.today ), May 15, 2015
  23. ↑ Big mileage targets up to 2018. ( Memento from April 1, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) In: Allgemeine Zeitung. April 1, 2016. Offline
  24. ↑ Transport through three countries. In: Allgemeine Zeitung. December 17, 2009.