The first section of railway track in Botswana was laid in 1896; a full route spanning from Mafikeng to Palapye was completed in May 1897.

The section through Botswana was built to connect to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, a route previously covered by horse-drawn stage-coaches.

These lines were to Morupule Colliery and to Selebi-Phikwe, both financed by the government of Botswana in a state construction effort and the first section of rail independent of the Rhodesian Railways.

[1] In 1974, the first President of Botswana, Sir Seretse Khama, announced the country's intention of taking over the Rhodesian Railways.

Some financing was provided by the Danish Government for technical assistance and the construction of the Mahalapye Locomotive and Wagon Workshops.

The government of the People's Republic of China assisted with both financial and technical aid in the relaying of the mainline track with continuously welded rail on concrete sleepers.

[citation needed] The opening of the Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway in Zimbabwe in 1999 resulted in a major drop in the volume of freight transit and income.

[6] There is also an isolated stretch of track at the Zambian border at the Kazungula Bridge, which will be connected to the rest of the network when the Mosetse–Kazungula–Livingstone Railway is finished.

There is currently a planned route called the Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR), which was first mentioned by both the Namibian and Botswanan governments back in 2014, but had been presumed abandoned until a Expression of Interest was signed in 2023.

[9] The project was reiterated as being a top priority for the Botswanan government by President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi in July 2024.

The line was envisaged as running south-westwards from Livingstone, crossing the Zambesi, then continuing to a junction with the existing BR tracks at Mosetse.

The suggested line, Lunga pointed out, would provide important alternative routes linking South Africa, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In 2007, the project restarted with a joint announcement by Zambia and Botswana for the construction of the Kazungula Bridge which spans the Zambezi river and the border between the two countries.

It also ships automotive parts and assembled automobiles, sulphur, fertilizers, other chemicals, forest products and other types of commodities.

[citation needed] There are currently three dry ports within Botswana: in Gaborone (GABCON), Francistown (FRANCON), and Palapye (PALCON).

Historically passenger rail was the primary mode of long-distance transport in Botswana until the construction of the national highway system in the late 20th centaury.

The new 36 coaches introduced in the early 1990s had never been serviced, leading to over 15 years of maintenance issues and degradation, and causing concerns by Lewis Malikongwa, then Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport, about their safety.

[16] Some passenger services survived, such as those operated by the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) running from Bulawayo to Lobatse via Plumtree, Francistown and Gaborone.

[1] This service was two nightly passenger trains, one from Lobatse to Francistown, and the other in the reverse direction, with stops in Gaborone, Mahalapye, Palapye, and Serule.