0> Magreth NunuhePretoria – The multi-billion Trans-Kalahari Railway line project envisaged to connect Namibia and Botswana via the western harbour town of Walvis Bay and the existing railway line in eastern Botswana is still struggling to take off, four years after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of the 1,500 km railway line. Apart from setting up an office and completing a feasibility study, not much progress has been made in terms of implementation or construction of the railway line that is expected to transport an estimated 90 million tonnes of coal through the railway link from Namibia to Botswana. The governments of Namibia and Botswana signed the MoU in March 2014 to start the joint venture, which was to see the successful construction of the Trans-Kalahari Railway line, an estimated R100 billion, within a period of five years. In Namibia, the Trans-Kalahari corridor passes through Gobabis and Omitara in the east of Namibia, before it aligns with the Trans-Kalahari Corridor (TKC) at Okahandja, onwards to Walvis Bay. In Botswana, the line starts at the Mmamabula coal fields, where it connects to the existing railway line up to Rasesa.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 29, 2018 10:52 UTC