Trans-Kalahari Railway

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Trans Kalahari Railway (TKR; German  Trans-Kalahari-Eisenbahn , in Namibia also Ostbahn ; working name: TransKalahari Railway Line Development ) is a railway construction project that was contractually agreed in 2014 between the states of Botswana and Namibia for the construction of a heavy-haul track .

As early as 1898, Cecil Rhodes brought up the first plans to build a railway line from the north Namibian coast to the east coast of Africa on the Indic .

Project description

Three years are estimated for the construction of the railway line. The 1477 km long route leads according to the initial plans through the semi-arid area of ​​the Kalahari with sandy savannah landscapes . From Mmamabula through six Botswana coal mining areas, the new line is to be driven westwards, crossing the border between the two states and being integrated into the existing rail network on the Namibian side near Gobabis . The connection in Gobabis is also linked to an expansion of the existing TransNamib route via Windhoek to the port in Walvis Bay on the Atlantic coast . The route should originally be completed by 2019 (as of 2014). As of March 2018, construction had not yet started.

The future rail link will be a counterpart to the existing road link ( Trans-Kalahari Corridor ). Its construction is estimated at 9.2 to 15 billion US dollars , which are to be raised by private donors.

purpose

Botswana intends to expand the export of mineral raw materials. The focus of these efforts is the transport of coal from the Mmamabula coalfield to the port of Walvis Bay in Namibia. Botswana already has a dry port here . Potential foreign customers using this railway project include Namibia, India and China . According to estimates from circles of the Botswana Chamber of Mines, there is a declared need of 200 billion tons of coal from those interested in Asia .

Conclusion of contract

The bilateral agreement was signed on Bird Island by Tom Alweendo , Director General of the Namibia National Planning Commission , and Botswana Minister of minerals, energy and water , Onkokame Kitso Mokaila. The project work started in February 2015. The Australian engineering firm Aurecon, which was already involved in the Swazilink project, was involved in the feasibility studies . The efficiency of the railway construction project and its long-term economic security also depends on the usability of the copper deposits in northwestern Botswana and the manganese ore deposits in the south of the country.

The Botswana Mining Chamber is critical of the timeframe for the construction of the route and, in the preliminary examination phase, took the view that the coal exporters cannot wait for it, and referred to the already existing transport and loading capacities via South Africa and Mozambique in the port of Richards Bay ( Glencore Xstrata , BHP Billiton ) and Port of Maputo ( Grindrod ). Interest in coal mining in Botswana showed Jindal Steel and Power (India), Shumba Coal Ltd. , Hodges Resources Ltd. , Walkabout Resources Ltd. , African Energy Resources Ltd. and Minergy Ltd .

Project status

As of March 2018, no further planning of the project had started. In September 2019, the contracting states announced the establishment of a management office. In early 2020, experts under the supervision of the African Union's development program also discussed the possibility of a high-speed line from Walvis Bay via Windhoek, Gaborone and Pretoria to Johannesburg , as part of the African Integrated High Speed ​​Railway Network .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Small steps to Ostbahn. Allgemeine Zeitung, January 5, 2011.
  2. ^ A b New Era: Trans-Kalahari railway line on track . News from February 10, 2015 on www.newera.com.na (English)
  3. ^ The Trans-Kalahari-Railway-Link in Perspective, The Transkalahari-Link between 1880 and 1966. Klaus Dierks . Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  4. ↑ a b c Peter Feuilherade: Deal reached on Trans-Kalahari Railway . News from March 27, 2014 on www.railjournal.com (English)
  5. ↑ a b Vincent Matumo: P136 trillion for Trans Kalahari Railway . News from December 22, 2014 on www.weekendpost.co.bw (English)
  6. ↑ https://minetravel.co.bw/coal/2014/03/25/trans-kalahari-railway-signing-to-unlock-botswana-coal-value-walkabout-resources/#.Wpk-bKJlweY
  7. ^ Walvis Bay Corridor Group: Trans-Kalahari Corridor . on www.wbcg.com.na ( Memento from May 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
  8. ^ New Era: Trans-Kalahari railway on track . News from August 12, 2014 on www.newera.com.na (English)
  9. ↑ 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
  10. ^ Dry port links Botswana with world. Botswana DailyNews, March 26, 2015.
  11. ↑ Mbongeni Mguni: Botswana Coal Companies See Output Without New Rail Line . News from January 25, 2015 on www.bloomberg.com (English)
  12. ↑ Kamlesh Bhuckory: Transnet Looks at Coal Port for Black-Owned Mine Exports . News from February 11, 2014 on www.bloomberg.com (English)
  13. ^ Trans-Kalahari Railway project struggling to take off. The Southern Times, March 29, 2018.
  14. ^ Trans-Kalahari railway project taking shape. Southern Times, September 3, 2019.
  15. ↑ Transport experts want implementation of African high-speed railway expedited. Namibia Press Agency, March 4, 2020.