Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and e ...

is provided by TransNamib. The Namibian rail network consists of 2,687 route-km of tracks (2017). Namibia has a history of more than 100 years of railway service. During the colonialisation by the German Empire between 1894 and 1915, a number of railways were built, of which some are still in service today.

History

Early development

The building of

German South West Africa German South West Africa (german: Deutsch-Südwestafrika) was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. With a total area of ...

railways began with a small mining rail line at Cape Cross in 1895. The first major railway project was started in 1897 when the German Colonial Authority built the "Staatsbahn" (state railway) from

Swakopmund Swakopmund (german: Mouth of the Swakop) is a city on the coast of western Namibia, west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. The town has 44,725 inhabitants and cover ...

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 20 ...

. By 1902 the line was completed. Parallel to this government initiative the Otavi Mining and Railway Company (O.M.E.G.) was established which built a line from Swakopmund to Tsumeb via Otavi between 1903 and 1906, and a branch from Otavi to Grootfontein in 1907/08. In 1914 the following railway lines existed: *The Cape Cross line, 2 feet 6 inch gauge; 13 miles long, built by George Gale, General Foreman in the Harbour Department at Durban using 18 lbs per yard rails *The German State Railways, 3 feet 6 inch gauge; 870 miles long *The German State Railways, 2 feet gauge; 120 miles long *The Otavi Railway, 2 feet gauge; 418 miles long *The Walvis Bay Railway, 2 feet 6 inches gauge; about 11 miles long *Several other 2 feet gauge branch lines to mines at Khan, Kalkfelt and Outjo The German colonial railway was taken over by the Railways of South Africa after World War I, and linked into the network of South Africa. After the independence of Namibia, TransNamib took control of the national rail network that operates on .

African Rail Conference

Plans to integrate the railways of Africa to facilitate trade were discussed at the Africa Rail conference in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

in August 2002. The move forms part of the

New Partnership for Africa's Development The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is an economic development program of the African Union. NEPAD was adopted at the 37th session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia. NEPAD aims to ...

( NEPAD), a programme aimed at economic renaissance. The railways were built by former

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

powers, but were not built to advance African interests. Plans were put into place to link the three parallel east-west lines in

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and to connect the Angolan network to that of Namibia and hence to South Africa. The strategic positioning of Maputo rail and port infrastructure indicated that the network should be promoted as the primary corridor serving

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its ...

, and South Africa's

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...

province. South Africa's transport minister,

Abdulah Omar Abd Allah ( ar, عبدالله, translit=ʻAbd Allāh), also spelled Abdallah, Abdellah, Abdollah, Abdullah and many others, is an Arabic name meaning "Servant of God". It is built from the Arabic words '' abd'' () and '' Allāh'' (). Although the ...

, said Africa needed to integrate its railway systems to form an internationally-competitive network. Experts said this could involve leasing locomotives and wagons, becoming involved as concessionaires and consultants, and participating in

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

Current Railway Lines

Namibia's national rail network operates on .

Windhoek-Kranzberg

The railway line from

to Kranzberg is long and was completed in 1902. *

- capital - junction * Okahandja * Karibib - proposed cement works * Kranzberg - junction Tsumeb v

Kranzberg-Walvis Bay

The railway line from Kranzberg to Walvis Bay is long. The section between Kranzberg and

was completed in 1902. In 1914 an extension to Walvis Bay was commissioned; the rails were laid close to the shore of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

. In 1980 this extension was replaced by an alternative route behind the dunes that allowed for higher axle load. * Kranzberg - junction Tsumeb v

. * Usakos * Arandis - crossing loop *

* Walvis Bay - port

Kranzberg-Otavi

The railway line from Kranzberg to Otavi is long and was completed in 1906. * Kranzberg - junction Tsumeb v

. * Omaruru *

Kalkfeld Kalkfeld is a settlement in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia. It is situated halfway between Omaruru, Namibia, Omaruru and Otjiwarongo on the national road C33 and belongs to the Omatako Constituency, Omatako electoral constituency. The place ...

- short siding * Otjiwarongo - junction for Outjo * Otavi

Otavi-Grootfontein

The railway line from Otavi to Grootfontein is long and was completed in 1908. * Otavi - junction for Grootfontein * Grootfontein - branch terminus.

Seeheim-Aus

The railway line from Seeheim to Lüderitz is long. The connection between Lüderitz and Aus was completed in 1906, and the extension to Seeheim was completed in 1908. The service between Aus and Lüderitz was decommissioned in 1997, due to poor track condition, and there is no regular passenger service between Seeheim and Aus. The line to Lüderitz was rehabilitated in the 2010s and was scheduled for reopening in 2017. Test trains ran to Lüderitz in 2014 and Lüderitz Harbour in 2018. Ferrocarril Swakopmund-Walvis Bay, Namibia, 2018-08-05, DD 03.jpg, Train on the

- Walvis Bay route Railwaystation Simplon.jpg, The remains of Simplon railway station, between Sandverhaar and Goageb Draisine Namibia.jpg, A Luxrailer inspection car passing Simplon station on its way from Seeheim to Aus (25 April 2017) Bahn Sand.jpg, Track from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay covered by sand
Railways Kolmanskuppe.jpg, New track near Kolmanskop (October 2015) TransNamib near Kolmanskop.jpg, Train near Kolmanskop in 2019

Nakop-Windhoek

The railway line from

Nakop Nakop is a small town and border post in northwestern South Africa on its border with Namibia. It lies ten kilometres north of the Orange River. In August 1914, the town was the site of the first conflict between German and South African troo ...

is long. The section between Karasburg and Keetmanshoop was completed in 1909. In 1912 the connection between Karasburg and Windhoek was completed, and the extension to Upington (South Africa) was built in 1915. * Upington *

border * Karasburg * Keetmanshoop * Tses * Rehoboth *

- capital - junction

Otjiwarongo-Outjo

The railway line from Otjiwarongo to Outjo is long. The first were completed under the German colonial administration in 1914/1915; the railway line was named ''Amboland Railway'' in reference to the territory of the Ovambo people. The link to Outjo was completed in 1921 under South African rule. * Otjiwarongo - junction for Outjo * Outjo - railhead

Windhoek-Gobabis

The railway line from

to Gobabis is long and was completed in 1930. *

- capital - junction * Neudamm * Omitara * Gobabis - branch railhead Gobabis Railway Station.jpg, Gobabis railway station Gobabis Railway Station Pic3.jpg, Gobabis railway station Gobabis Railway Station Pic2.jpg, Gobabis railway station

Otavi-Oshikango

In 2005, an 89 km section of new Northern Railway from Tsumeb to Oshivelo was opened by President Sam Nujoma, as part of the "Northern Extension" of the railway link from Kranzberg to Otavi. Construction on the project's second phase, a 59 km stretch from

Ondangwa Ondangwa (earlier spelling ''Ondangua'') is a town in the Oshana Region of northern Namibia, bordering the Oshikoto Region. Ondangwa was first established as a mission station of the Finnish Missionary Society (the FMS) in 1890. In 1914, it became ...

to Oshikango on the Angolan border at a cost of about N$329m, was scheduled to be completed by December 2007. Ondangwa Station opened in 2006 for freight. In phase 3, a 58 km branch from

to Oshakati was constructed at an estimated cost of N$220m, for completion in December 2008. For the future a connection from Oshikango to a point near Cassinga is planned on

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

's southern railway system. The Ondangwa-Oshikango line was officially opened by President Hifikepunye Pohamba in July 2012. In order to keep system operational and safe, provincial governor Usko Nghaamwa implored local residents to stop stealing railroad ties and sections of the wire fence. * Otavi - junction for Grootfontein * Tsumeb *

- junction * Oniipa road bridge. * Onjdiva * Namacunde ** Oshakati * Oshikango - border post - current railhead

Historic Railway Lines

Apart from a number of short rail connections built by mining companies, the following railway links are decommissioned: * ''Cape Cross Mine Railway'', gauge. The first railway line in South West Africa, built in 1895/96. * ''Walvis Bay Railway'', gauge, completed in 1899. The line linked the port of Walvis Bay to Rooikop. * ''Otavibahn'', a private railway built by the Otavi Mining and Railway Company between 1903 and 1906 to connect the mines at Tsumeb to the town of Swakopmund. In 1908 the line was extended by to reach Grootfontein. The ''Otavibahn'' was the longest gauge railway in the world at its time of construction. * a industrial line linking Kolmanskop with Bogenfels, completed 1913. This was the only rail link in Namibia ever electrified. The rail track does not exist anymore. * ''Amboland Railway'', Otjiwarongo - Outjo, 1914-1915.

Proposed Railway Lines

Trans-Kalahari Coal Line

* Gobabis - current railhead * Buitepos - border post * Mamuno * Mmamabula - coal deposits * Lobatse,

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...

- current railhead

Zambia-Namibia link

* Zambia - Grootfontein

Recommissioning of the Aus-Lüderitz Line

The railway to Lüderitz is now complete and is now being evaluated for freight traffic use. The first test train to Luderitz Via Aus arrived on October 10, 2018. According to the Karas Region Chancellor Jan Scholtz, Passenger service to Luderitz will commence once it is determined that there is sufficient demand for it, but for the time being it is not being considered. * Aus * Grasplatz * Lüderitz - port

References

External links

TransNamib website
*Namibweb.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Namibia

History

Early development

African Rail Conference

Current Railway Lines

Windhoek-Kranzberg

Kranzberg-Walvis Bay

Kranzberg-Otavi

Otavi-Grootfontein

Seeheim-Aus

Nakop-Windhoek

Otjiwarongo-Outjo

Windhoek-Gobabis

Otavi-Oshikango

Historic Railway Lines

Proposed Railway Lines

Trans-Kalahari Coal Line

Zambia-Namibia link

Recommissioning of the Aus-Lüderitz Line

See also

References

External links