Trans-Kalahari Railway

This proposed railway line aims to improve regional trade and economic development by providing a more efficient and cost-effective transportation route for goods being exported from Botswana, Namibia, and Southern Africa more generally.

The PPIAF helped fund the study, which recommended the Mmamabula-Walvis Bay rail route as the most cost-effective option due to its shorter distance, easier terrain, and minimal construction needs.

[1][3][4] In August 2011 the Botswana government signed a $400 million loan agreement with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Fund for International Development for the implementation of the project, including the financing of complementary studies for the Trans-Kalahari Railway, and two additional corridors (Mmamabula–Ellisras, and Mosetse–Kazungula).

In Botswana, the line shall start at the Mmamabula coal fields connecting to the existing railway to Rasesa, going west and passing north of Molepolole and east of Letlhakeng, joining the Molepolole-Kang road and through to the Mamuno border post.

John Mutorwa and his counterpart from Botswana, Eric Molale, both attended and co-chaired the JMC in Windhoek and stated that an Expression of Interest (EOI) would run from 6 September to 8 November 2023, followed by a pre-qualification stage between December 2023 and February 2024.

In Botswana, the line shall start at the Mmamabula coal fields connecting to the existing railway to Rasesa, going west and passing north of Molepolole and east of Letlhakeng, joining the Molepolole-Kang road and through to the Mamuno border post.

A westward view of the town centre of Witvlei in Namibia, located on the B6 national road which is part of the Trans-Kalahari Highway. The railway in the photo is part of the line to Gobabis, which the Trans-Kalahari Railway will connect to.