Work on new Botswana railway project to begin next year

23 June 2011

Construction work to build a railway line across Botswana has been scheduled for 2012, it has been revealed.

Chief executive officer of Walvis Bay Corridor Group Johny Smith told Reuters that the transport scheme to construct the trans-Kalahari train line between the Mmamabula coal field in Botswana and the port Walvis Bay in Namibia is likely to begin within the next 15 months.

The initiative is expected to cost $10 billion (£6.27 billion) and could take up to five years to be completed.

Mr Smith explained to the news resource that private firms are joining up with the government to fund the project, saying neither "can do it alone".

Once it is in operation, the railway line will transport commodities such as coal across the country.

If it is successful, it may be extended to Zambia and Mozambique to boost infrastructure across Africa's states, he added.

As well as these southern nations, other parts of the country are to see transport improvements, after African Investor reported that $900 billion will be put into the East African Community railway network between Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.  

Category: Transport